A Single Scar
by Spoodlexiii
Summary: Convinced that a bully is on the loose and is targeting Minato, Hidetoshi Odagiri is desperate to do anything to hear from the boy himself on the issue. Warning: Slash.
1. A Bully?

Title: A Single Scar

Summary: Hidetoshi's POV. Convinced that a bully is on the loose and is targeting Minato, he's desperate to do anything to hear from the boy himself on the issue. But what happens when his concern mutates into something else? Hidetoshi x Minato Warning: Slash, and maybe spoilers.

A/N: I hope Hidetoshi isn't too OOC. XD I try. Read and review, so I can keep the determination to keep this fic going! Oh, about the ship--I'm experimenting with what I like best. Minato could be with any of those boys! A second warning: This is slash fiction.

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It'd started with the lateness to the meetings. I could overlook it once or twice, for I had quite the soft spot in my heart when it came to that person. It was the third time he was late that I looked at him harder. It was when I began to notice the pain that those gray eyes seemed to hold back that I began to grow suspicious. He had no need to show up at the meetings anymore, and he knew it, but he went to the effort anyway. I appreciated his participation, but not when he showed up late. It was something that vexed me and bothered me.

Like an annoying bug, ideas swarmed around my head. The other was zoned out during that meeting, periodically turning up his music and just staring up at me while I talked in some attempt to stay focused. I couldn't ignore this, the way he stared at me, seeming to just hope that I could remove whatever was on his mind. I continued on with the meeting, speaking to the other members about an upcoming school event. I also reminded them to be on the lookout for anyone who wasn't playing by the rules, as it was a habit I couldn't kick.

As the meeting drew to a close, Chihero getting up to begin talking about what they would do next meeting, I moved past his chair. I touched his shoulder to grab his attention, but I knew he was already paying me it. I murmured to him, "See me after the meeting, Minato. I want to talk to you." I then sat down in a chair, arms crossed, eyes pretending to focus on Chihero when they were actually glancing his way. The blue-haired male had shut his eyes, not in dreading, but in discomfort. It drew worry into my face, but I masked it quickly with a look of satisfaction for Chihero's wrap-up.

The others left, and when I was sure they were done darting back in, having forgotten their things, I stood up from my chair and moved to the window. I watched others playing outside, talking, seeming to have the best time of their lives. I got a mild thrill when I knew that I was doing my part to make sure they were happy. I enjoyed being able to make the school better for the others in it. If everyone could be happy, then I would truly feel successful. But as I glanced away from that window, my arms crossed, I knew there was one person who wasn't so happy.

"I could overlook it once, maybe twice," I started, looking at him unevenly, sizing him up. I analyzed him, studying everything about that blue-haired youth. I noticed the faint slouch--well, more than there already was--and the way he stood over himself. I worried my lip for a moment, and he seemed to understand what I was thinking about. "What's happening, Minato? Are you being bullied?"

The other shook his head quickly, but my sharp eyes knew that it was too quickly. My gaze hardened. I didn't appreciate liars, but I hated bullies even more. I turned on him fully, arms unfolding. The other mumbled something about falling, but he was a horrendous liar. It agitated me slightly, but I let it slide. Was he protecting someone? Or was he worried about a sick truth leaking out? I moved closer, my long legs covering the difference between us quickly. He pulled his hands out of his pockets, grabbing at mine as I went for the edge of his shirt.

I would not tolerate one of my friends being hurt. I didn't have a lot of friends besides him, and I wasn't going to let something like this go unnoticed. It was my responsibility to step up! If I was going to make the school better, I needed to help one person at a time. My friend was first on my list, and I wasn't going to let him down. I knew I wasn't his only friend, as he was very popular with everyone because of his kindness, but I wanted to be the first to take action. I'd heard a member of the swim team talking about the boy once; talked about some horrible cuts the boy developed overnight. He'd never give a straight answer about how he'd gotten them.

"Hidetoshi," Minato's soft lips whispered. I glanced up, noticing a faint blush. For a moment, I was curious if he was just embarrassed about his body, but I noticed that it didn't fade after I moved my hands back and I crossed my arms again. It stayed, and didn't disappear. The other's eyes seemed to fluctuate between unreadable and distant, and I caught on too slowly to react. The other began to collapse, but out of immediate instinct, I lunged forward, catching him. He was out cold. I stared at him for a moment, then looked around, as though expecting to hand him off to someone else. What was I supposed to do now?

Gingerly, I moved the back of my hand to the other's forehead and I winced. The guy was pretty warm. He was really sick. I wanted to curse him, call him a moron for staying after if he hadn't been feeling well, but I didn't. I straightened up, pulling him with me, surprised at both my strength and his lightness. He was a slight guy, but I hadn't expected him to be equally light.

Then it hit me. Nobody was watching, and he was unconscious. Now--now I had the chance to see what he was hiding! I could see now if he was being bullied! My hand moved fast, but I stopped at the edge of his white shirt. Hesitation gripped me. Was that really fair to Minato? I trusted Minato with my feelings and my thoughts, and I knew Minato trusted me enough to continue to come to the council meetings long after we didn't need him. If Minato didn't want to tell him about his pain, about his sickness, then it wasn't his business. If Minato was being bullied, I wanted to know it from either investigating or from his mouth. Cheating wasn't fair.

I managed to carry him to the nurse's office. I was still surprised how light he was, and my worry grew a little more. Once the boy was settled with the nurse, I lingered nearby, concerned for him. It was when that moron Junpei came to help Minato home that I felt a little relieved.

"Hey, don't worry 'bout him," the other chuckled, heaving Minato to his feet. The blue-haired male drowsily opened his eyes. They caught sight of me, and I tried to smile, but his eyes had already fallen shut.

"…See you…Monday…" he mumbled, and Junpei laughed, wrapping the guy's arm around his shoulder. The two left, and I watched them go, a little nervous. However, I knew I had investigations to begin on. I, too, left the nurse's office and went off to begin talking to students. Being the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, I had power to wield. I needed to know if there was bullying going on in my school. I would not rest until it was stopped.

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That night, as I sat in my room, studying intently, something began to buzz in my pocket. I unintentionally jumped, a shudder crawling up my spine and then back down. What the heck!? For a moment, I feared the Bed Bugs, and an image of those horrible creepy-crawlies I'd once run into crawling on my pillow came to mind. When I was younger, an earwig or two had been crawling around on my bed and when I had gone to sleep, I felt them crawling around my scalp. Needless to say, it had been one of the most horrifying experiences in my life.

I realized it was just my cell phone, and I drew it out, looking at the number before opening it up. I didn't really recognize the number, but it never hurt to answer anyway. Besides, maybe it was one of the punks I had befriended who had information on the bullying situation that may be occurring right under my nose.

"This is Hidetoshi Odagiri. Hello?" I asked, a bit sharper than I think was appreciated.

I got a soft, quiet reply. "…It's Minato." I bit my tongue for being so reckless when answering. That worry I had shoved aside bubbled up.

"Are you feeling better?" I blurted, despite my usual cautiousness. I kicked myself mentally.

A gentle noise could be heard, and it was something not unlike a laugh. I realized then that I had never heard Minato laugh before. The other continued on. "A lot. I'm sorry for just passing out on you, Hidetoshi….Are you busy tomorrow?"

Tomorrow? What was tomorrow? Sunday. Oh yeah. There was no school on Sunday.

"Not particularly," I replied casually. "Why do you ask?" My casual, unfortunately, was a little stiff and uninterested. I kicked myself again, worrying my lip.

He sounded a bit nervous from my tone, but he pressed on. "I'm going out with some guys. Do you want to come too?" At first, this proposal baffled me. Who did he think I was? I wasn't as simple-minded as Junpei or Kenji. I wasn't entertained merely by 'hanging out'. However, I couldn't say that I had ever actually tried something like that before. The aspect appalled me, but before I got completely lost in my thoughts, I heard that gentle voice add something else. "I want to thank you." I heard myself agree to his proposal before I thought twice.

I hung up after I learned of the time and place of meeting and after I bid Minato goodbye. I stared at my desk for a long moment, before I groaned and pulled at my hair a bit. I had no clue what I was going to do! I didn't know how 'hanging out' worked! It couldn't be too bad, I reasoned with myself. After all, I respected Minato. I figured that what he liked couldn't be too terribly out of taste. It would also give me a chance to find out whether or not he truly was being bullied.

I went to bed that night, my stomach almost eager for the outing tomorrow. _Don't worry, Minato. I'll get to the bottom of this, _I thought, eyes sliding shut. _So I don't ever have to see you in pain again._


	2. Worse than a Beating

Author's Note: Chapter two! A fluffier chapter than the last, but the plot deepens! Please, read and review. I like knowing if my stories are being read!

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I could remember a time when I was a freshman when I'd stumbled behind the Port Island station. I don't quite remember what I had been planning, but I'm sure it was probably about three levels of stupid. I got into a mess with a few punks and I ended up relatively bloodied up. I had needed to miss school the following day just to help recover. It had been pretty bad a situation then, but that was nothing compared to what I was in now. This situation, by a long shot, was much worse.

It had started that morning, when I had arrived at the Iwatodai strip mall. The strip mall had been the place of meet for Minato's friends. I wasn't the first to arrive, which unnerved me a little. I'd shown up about ten minutes earlier than I was supposed to, but instead of thinking about it, I decided to just go with it and throw any plans I'd made out the window. From a distance, I could already tell who I was up against. Minato was sitting on a bench, his shirt clinging to his slim figure, but still looser than he usually wore. He was listening to his music rather than the two boys talking beside him.

Junpei was there, teasing the other male, Kenji. I couldn't stop my eye from twitching at first, but I mastered my disgust and horror, and proceeded to come closer. Minato's gray eyes glanced up, and he nodded dully. He pulled off his headphones, standing up. Junpei laughed.

"Hey! Hidetoshi-san!" he cheered, holding out his hand. I went to shake it, but he snorted, jerking his hand back and adjusting his cap instead. "Too slow! Alright, is this everybody?"

"Kazushi," Kenji reminded, smiling. "Nice of you to join us, Hidetoshi-san. I don't think you go out often, right? This'll be fun. I promise." He too held out his hand, and I took it gingerly, not wanting to fall for the same thing Junpei had done. I would pay him back for sure, but for now I could only stew in my irritation. Kenji's handshake was much too loose and wimpy, and I wanted to squeeze it to flow some of my steadiness into it. I instead just pretended that it'd been a decent handshake.

I couldn't wait to get out of here already. I could be searching for news on the bully instead of playing paddy-cake with these morons. Well, I knew Minato had a straight head on his shoulders, but these two…

I heard huffing, and we turned to see Kazushi hurrying to greet us. "H-Hey! Minato-kun!" I was secretly glad this was the last person joining us. I couldn't tolerate anyone else, and I didn't even have to greet Kazushi to know he was just going to add to my headache. The other caught up and he doubled over to catch his breath. I watched him, my lips firmly pressed together in a slight scowl. I wasn't much of a sullen kid, but this truly tested my patience in general. I wasn't used to other people, so I supposed that made this harder than it could've been.

"Alright! I'm better!" Kazushi announced when he had restored his breathing back to natural. All but Minato and I made noises of excitement. Minato looked between us all, and his soft gray eyes seemed content. I could still see that discomfort. His injuries still hurt him. Everyone else seemed to be oblivious to it.

Junpei announced his desire to head to the upper floor. We trailed up there, watching other people talking and chatting down below. Idle chat? Was that all we were going to do? I tried not to get sucked into any conversations, as most involved chatter about girls and sports. Sports didn't interest me, and I had no time for girls to bother me. Minato leaned against the railing with the rest of them, listening in and out, replying to some things when they brought attention to him. I stood next to him, my arms crossed. I wasn't enjoying myself like Kenji said I would.

"No, it's true! I saw him do it once!" Junpei said, dead serious. "Right Kenji?"

The male nodded. "Everyone was talking about it." Kazushi looked between them, seemingly unable to accept whatever it was as truth. He rounded on Minato.

"Did you seriously kiss Yuko?" he sputtered. I almost snorted, but I kept it to myself. I wasn't surprised when Minato shook his head.

"No…I kissed Mitsuru," the blue-haired male admitted absently, like he was thinking about it. "I once kissed Yukari, too…"

"You dog!" Junpei cried out, slugging Minato in the shoulder. "You've got to be kidding me! Both of them? Dude! You kissed them both!? No way!"

"You were serious when you said you didn't discriminate!" Kenji gasped, slack-jawed. "But, you know, I don't care. I've got my Emiri…"

"That's right. You're datin' our homeroom teacher," Kazushi stated, watching Kenji's cheeks turn bright red. Kazushi turned back on Minato before the subject slipped to Kenji's relationship. "But seriously? You actually kissed them, Minato? You sure are popular with the ladies." My tolerance for the conversation was stretching beyond thin. An angry twitch tormented my brow, and I lost my patience. I turned on them, sneer terrible.

"Is this all we're going to do? Chit-chat about girls and whoever has kissed them?" I demanded, unable to stop myself. "If that's the case, I have better things to do! You are all--" He was cut short. He'd caught sight of Minato, who looked a little saddened. The male looked back over the railing, and then straightened.

"Let's have something to eat," he said quietly. "I'm bored too." The three others groaned, having lost their chance at details, but then cheered. Food never failed to excite them. I looked away, disgusted, but Minato's fingers lightly brushed my sleeve. My eyes moved to his, and the young male gave me a weak smile. "Come on. I'll buy." I couldn't tell him 'no', no matter how much I didn't care for this outing. We moved into the ramen shop, which made me a bit antsy. It was dark and dim, and I wasn't so sure I wanted the ramen anymore. It smelled nice in there, and was warm, but I was on high alert.

"Special!" Junpei cried out, removing his hat. Kenji and Kazushi mimicked him, and then they all looked expectantly to Minato and me. I grunted out a simple order, and Minato ordered a small bowl. They all looked at him as though he was an alien. "What the hell, man? You still not feeling good?" Junpei demanded.

The other shook his head. "Yeah…My stomach's upset."

I didn't let my worry show. I had to get to the bottom of this! I instinctually doubted that his sickness was what upset his stomach. As we were given our ramen, I ate slowly, but I had to admit it tasted good. Kenji glanced over Kazushi and Minato to get a look at me.

"See, guy? It's not so bad," he said cheerily. "I had a feeling this would calm you down." I was about to attack him verbally, but Minato had stood up. He excused himself for a moment, and I was going to follow him out of worry, but Junpei called for my attention. I glanced to him angrily, demanding, "What!?"

Junpei said nothing until Minato was gone, which ticked me off very much, but once the other was gone, he sobered up a bit. "Hidetoshi-san, you know, don't worry so much for him. That guy's really strong. Trust me, you got it? He gets hurt sometimes, but it's because of his own clumsiness. Don't worry!" Junpei laughed, then returned to his meal. I knew instantly that he was lying. I hated liars.

"Don't worry?" I repeated, voice struggling to stay even. My debate instincts kicked up. "The boy is hurt. Simply ignoring any pain he receives is not only the mark of bad friendship, but it also places you in a position that makes you lie. You are covering something up, Iori. I do not like liars."

"Chill," Kenji interrupted, glancing up. "Don't be so accusing, Hidetoshi. We both know he gets hurt sometimes. Heck, Kazushi sees him pretty much naked after school during their practices together."

Kazushi nodded. "It's none of our business anyway. He trusts us a lot, and we trust him, don't we? If it's something to be concerned about, he'll--Look at those Giants go!" he suddenly burst, ramen spilling down his chin. I cringed at the barbaric nature of that. I noticed Minato moving past me and sitting down again. He began to eat quietly, and the conversations between us all returned to what they were before his absence.

I sulked. There was something going on! I knew there was! There was a bully, at the least, involved here! Someone doesn't 'fall' and get their stomach hurt to a point it was uncomfortable to eat! The ramen tasted good in my mouth, but it churned in my own stomach with worry and the desperate need to solve this mystery for sure.

The rest of the day, we just hung around the strip mall. I remained guarded and silent the rest of the entire outing, and when the sun began to disappear and the streetlights kicked on, Kenji and Kazushi broke off to head home. I mumbled my farewell to Junpei and Minato, who went back to the same dorm together, and I began to walk home myself. I felt almost miserable after having to endure that torture, and I bleakly looked at my phone--which I had turned off. I turned it back on and waited to see if I got any messages. My heart beat an extra time when I saw I had one. I pulled up my voicemail and listened to the message.

It said: '_Hello, Hidetoshi-san. You know that thing you asked me about? I looked into it for you. The punks behind Port Island claim that a super-skinny guy, some guy with a silver briefcase, and some girl in this frilly dress have been lurking around back there. Someone told me they swore they had heard the names of the friends that that Arisato kid hangs with. Or general descriptions of them, actually. Hope this helped you.'_

A grin crossed my lips, no matter how foolish it looked. A lead. Maybe this mystery wouldn't be so hard to solve after all. I thanked my source and walked home with eagerness. _I'll be a better friend than them, Minato_, I thought. _I'll help you end this, so you won't have to have anyone lie for you anymore._

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PS A/N: Dundundun. What's Hidetoshi getting himself into?


	3. A Visit to the Dorm

Author's Note: This chapter's a bit longer than the other's. I'm introducing more of the main cast. I don't have a specific time set up, so this may actually be a bit AU in the aspect that Strega are around. It's pre-summer break, I believe. Whatever. Enjoy.

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"Hidetoshi." I heard my name and glanced up from the papers I was stacking. A tall, beautiful girl stood before me, her arms crossed over a book she had in her arms. There was nothing shy or timid in her demeanor, and she seemed to command attention and respect. Her eyes were carefully guarded and gentle, and it struck a bit of a soft chord in me. I was fascinated by how dominate she was, but never had a say a single word to get that across. I usually had to do more than stand with my own arms crossed to call attention to myself.

Maybe that was because I didn't have gorgeous red hair or breasts.

I bowed quickly in greeting, and then leaned back, folding my arms over my chest. "What is it, Kirijo-san?" The young lady briefly brushed away her bangs, before she gave me a bit of a look. I was so curious what was on her mind…It made my frown deepen a bit. Finally, she pulled a paper from the book she was carrying. She held it out to me expectantly.

I eyed it suspiciously. "What is that, Kirijo-san?"

"The Student Council will be the leaders in the upcoming project, Odagiri-san, if you recall. You are to be in charge of setting up the rules for the occasion. It would be a shame if lawlessness ruined our Sports Competition day," Mitsuru Kirijo replied, her voice completely pitched in the tones of 'know-it-all' and 'collection'. I smirked, impressed. She never failed to impress me when we spoke.

"Arigatou, Kirijo-san," I said, bowing again. She rolled her eyes, a small smile appearing on her calm face. It was surprising, but I gave her one of my short smile-like smirks. I don't recall ever directly smiling to anyone, but I could create something similar when my lips pulled one way. I glanced briefly over the paper, and then huffed a bit. "Why do we have a Sports Competition day?"

"It was what was voted on by the students a while back."

"Ah. I recall," I said, thinking back a bit. I glanced to my watch briefly, and her head tilted inquisitively. I replied before she could ask. "I need to go catch some bullies. My source says they make appearances at about six in the afternoon, but only for a minute or so. I've been late the last few days." I should've gone then, but Mitsuru suddenly looked aside for a moment, an unusually unfocused look passing through her eyes. Curiosity got the better of me, so I gave her a small frown. "What is on your mind, Kirijo-san?"

For a moment, she didn't seem to hear me. Then, without warning, she moved forward. I took a step back in surprise as she came around the desk that separated us. I unfolded my arms, feeling unbalanced moving with them crossed. She paused when we were barely two feet from each other. I got really nervous very suddenly. I was about to spit out what I'd heard from Minato last Sunday, worried that this was an attempt on my life--I mean, to try and ask me out. I should've thought more wisely about the daughter of the Kirijo Company.

"You are to stop sticking your nose into bad business, Odagiri-san," she said, her eyes steely when they turned upon me. It made me blink twice. Her fingers tightened around her book. "Your bullies are no regular punks. I will assume full responsibility for them and make them my own problem. That was what I really came to say. That is an order from the president of this council, Hidetoshi." Then, as quick as that storm had come, it had vanished. Mitsuru moved out of the room with swift determination. I stayed there, frozen up in sheer surprise. Shocked by the removal of my after school responsibility, I tightened my slack jaw and bitterly moved back to my desk.

After packing up, I left school in a hurry, insulted by her words and indignant at having my case taken from me. And worst of all, my respect for Mitsuru receded a bit. She had never intervened before, not even when I was dangerously close to having myself thrown off of the Council. She told everyone at the beginning of her presidency that if we got ourselves into trouble, she was not going to save our hides. So why now was she getting in my way and stopping me from stalking those bullies? I needed to teach them a lesson, or find out for sure that they were bullies. Mitsuru had just proved that to be true, but now I was even more curious.

Just why had she stood up and taken the responsibility? Was this a personal matter for her as well? Well--actually, that almost made sense. Minato and she apparently had kissed, so maybe they were actually dating. Then it would make sense why the Student Council president would intervene, but it was still oddly uncharacteristic of the girl.

"Hidetoshi-kun! S'up dude?" came the obnoxious voice I didn't want to hear. I glanced over my shoulder. By this point, I was just passing through the main gates while Junpei was stumbling down the steps leading up to the school. He rushed to greet me, a wide and stupid grin on his face. He slapped my back, which raised my anger levels by twenty points. "Hey, Minato asked that you drop by later. He was sick again today, because he's been working out really hard lately. I tell him to slow down, but hey--the kid's got a brick for a brain. I'm way smarter than him in everything, you know!" Junpei sighed, shrugging and shaking his head.

"I think he's the smartest kid in your class, isn't he?" I replied in Minato's defense, clearly agitated by this moron's presence.

"Dude, you are no fun," Junpei said, pouting like a child. "You're so uptight, Hide-kun!"

"Do not call me that," I snapped, voice turning vicious. "Or I will make your life a living hell." That would be the best day of my life. I hated this kid. I hated him because of his easy-going lifestyle and slacker qualities. His blatant disrespect for the dress code would some day come back to haunt him, and I would so love to be there the day that that would happen. Junpei laughed, holding up his hands, and then shouldered his bag better.

"Anyway, dude, I'll take you to the dorm. You don't mind, right? Minato doesn't invite many people over, so perhaps your stupid uptight-ness appeals to him," the blue-capped male sighed, shrugging again. Unwillingly, I followed Junpei to the Port Island station. I paused, telling him to hold a moment while I went to glance behind the station. The reek of pot filled my nose and I could practically taste the alcohol it was mixed with. I hated that place more than anything in the world.

I caught sight of a few punks, a horny couple making out passionately between drags of their joints, two people just standing, as well as a tall, white-haired male who was thinner than a rail. Was this the guy? Was this the guy my source had called me about? A slap on my back made me turn away, only for a moment, but when I gazed back, the male was gone. I rounded on Junpei, but before I could snarl at him, he jerked his thumb to the monorail.

"The thing's leaving, dude. We got to go," he said, his eyes momentarily darting past my shoulder. "What're you looking for? Oh, jeez. Look at them go. If we wait long enough--"

I had already dragged him onto the train before he could finish his thought.

That guy was creepy. I hadn't seem him for long, but something about him didn't say 'bully'. My stomach screamed 'murderer' instead. It was a judgment based on no proof, but my gut instincts weren't usually wrong. What surprised me more was that he had not been wearing a shirt to cover his ghostly and haunting appearance. His flesh had been pulled tighter than leather on a drum across his ribs and the slope of his stomach was generally concave. His arms were stick-like and the bones jutted out more than handlebars on a bike. His hair, though a soft shade of white, was long and unhealthy looking. It draped the sides of his face, which I had not caught a further glance of.

Junpei guided me to the dorm from the Iwatodai station, passing several people who he seemed to know. He greeted them all respectively, until he rushed up to a boxer hanging around on the steps leading up to a dorm. I hung back, uncomfortable as hell being brought all the way out here. I knew who the boxer was--he was Akihiko Sanada, a male in his senior year and was extremely popular with the ladies. The male glanced up as Junpei approached and he chuckled.

"Where have you been?" he asked, and Junpei jerked his thumb to me.

"Minato asked for him. You two met?"

"Not formally," I said, approaching, and I held out my hand. "Hidetoshi Odagiri. And you are Sanada-san, correct?"

"Indeed," the-silver haired male stated, giving me a firm handshake in return. I always appreciated good handshakes. "Minato's inside. He's having some dinner, I think. He was talking with Yukari last I checked. Thanks for dropping by, Hidetoshi-san. Junpei, before you head in for the night, drop by the police station. You're falling behind us."

"Fine," Junpei sighed, looking as though he'd been eager to return home. He waved at us, then turned on his heels and rushed off to catch a monorail back. I watched him, nodded my head at Akihiko, and then moved into the dorm. Instantly, a wave of coziness and comfort washed over me. A scented candle was lit on the main desk, a green-haired girl standing over it and watching the fire with interest. She glanced up to me briefly, and then quickly looked back down.

I rolled my eyes, moving forward a bit, my arms crossing over my chest. I inched my way around until I could see past the divider that separated the dining table from the main part of the room. There, I could see that blue-haired male eating some instant ramen, but he didn't look particularly hungry for it. Across from him sat Miss Yukari Takeba: a kind, popular brunette who had a strong affinity for pink and snapping at people who displeased her. She was another one of those anonymous people who I knew, but didn't really care about them. They were just another face in the sea of students I saw every day, and I had no reason to seek them out from the crowd.

"So, you asked for me?" I said more snidely than I'd meant to. I had a hard time using my tone correctly when trying to be friendly. I was trying to become more kind, more open, but Rome wasn't built in a day. I needed some time to change and fix myself as Minato had taught me to. I would become a generally kinder and more merciful person, but I would do it steadily.

The male glanced up when he heard his voice, and for a moment, he looked guilty. I winced, quickly apologizing for my attitude. His gray eyes lightened a bit, and he stood. After throwing away his half full ramen cup, he gestured upstairs.

"Hey, we're talking!" Yukari suddenly snapped. I had a feeling that we would not be good friends right from the get-go. "Minato, about tonight--I can't patch you up. I need to study and sleep; we have a test in my class. Will you be okay another night?" My eyebrow quirked, and though I was pretending to merely be moving for the staircase, I was listening very intently. "Please, keep it clean until I can. It's going to scar if you don't."

The other nodded, and he sided me. We walked up the staircase together, and then sat at the table and stools set up there. It was more private up here--it was the landing of the boys' floor, and I was actually pretty comfortable. There was a vending machine against the wall that carried rip-off brands of pop and energy drinks, a small decoration set up in the corner, and warm-colored furnishings. It was much friendlier than the ramen bar could ever be.

"I want…to be pulled from the Sports day," Minato said very suddenly. He didn't beat around the bush--ever. I enjoyed that very much about him. It was so hard these days to get a blunt statement from anyone. "Kazushi will be let down, but…"

I didn't force him to continue. "Don't worry about it. I can take care of that for you, Minato-kun. Is that all?" I added, hoping very much so that it wasn't. Thankfully, my hopes were correct. The other male shook his head, looking off to the side nervously.

"…Don't…tell Kenji or Junpei about this wound," he finally stated, getting up. I almost did so myself, a little alarmed. "They know of it, but haven't seen it. I've been swimming with a shirt on, so Kazushi doesn't either. You wanted to see, correct?" He spoke a lot, and in a very soft and hard-to-hear voice. I nodded a bit stupidly, not able to mentally catch up. He was about to show what I needed to see! I was going to know! I was excited!

Minato rolled up his shirt and pulled back a few layers of bandages, shutting his eyes in disgust, and turned his head away. Across his stomach was a horrendously deep, horrendously angry, and horrendously large cut. It wasn't a regular cut--not like a knife or a scalpel, or even a saw. It was angled, like the skin had been cut out in a slab. What it looked like was an animal scratch, except that the animal that had 'scratched' him had done so with claws four times bigger than anything I'd ever seen. It was raw, but looked very tender. It would scar in the most awful of ways. It'd leave a single scar, but the most deep and angry I'd ever seen.

The viewing was short, and I didn't have the time to look beyond the mar upon his body. I hadn't noticed his beautiful soft and pale skin, or his strong but slim and gentle looking body. I knew I'd never get a second chance to either.

"What did that to you?" I asked him, voice a little shaken from the sight. "That can't have come from a fall. Not unless you fell into a bear's cage at the zoo." I wasn't surprised when he didn't answer. "Was it a bully, Minato? Was it…" I hesitated. Mitsuru shared the dorm with Minato. If she heard what I was about to ask, I would get into trouble. But never before had I let threats or interferences get in my way, so why would I stop now? "Was it that pale, underweight man who lurks behind Port Island station?"

Minato only met my eyes for a second. It was only for one mere second before he stood up and cast his gaze aside. "I think you need to go home, Hidetoshi."


	4. Strega

Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to update. I had exams, and my ADD fought with me. Some fluff, mixed in with some plot development. I don't think this'll be too much longer now. XD Review, please! Also, this chappie's longer than the last.

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My mother used to tell me that I was a hard child to be with when I was much younger. She used to tell me I was too headstrong and driven by my sense of justice. Sometimes when she just couldn't take it, she'd just call me stupid for going after a point that was as good as moot. I wasn't dismayed, and I continued to let my stubbornness drive me as I got older. It certainly became more reserved, but you can't hide that kind of will completely. I let it work me subtly. I wouldn't be put down by adversary.

This was certainly why I didn't leave when Minato told me to go. I stood up, eyes calculating, narrowed, focused on his figure. He wasn't intimidated by me, but I could tell that he was uncomfortable with how I was staring him down. I needed to know now. I needed to know exactly what was going on now. I would not tolerate cover-up lies, and I would not tolerate bullying. I would put a stop to this. I would ensure that nothing like that ever happened to Minato again.

I moved closer, my arms crossed. He stepped back, his face becoming neutral. I was losing his vulnerability! If he hid behind his emotionless face again, I'd never be able to get to him. He was one of the most complicated people I had ever met, without a second thought. Doubtful I'd be able to win this game, I dropped my attempt and nodded obediently. Shoulders relaxing, Minato stepped back and bowed his head briefly.

"Thank you for the favor," he said, voice neutral. "Odagiri-san." I moved past with a grunt, nodding, and I left the building. I walked down the sidewalk, but I didn't head home. I didn't head anywhere. What had I done? I'd blown it. I'd blown his trust. He didn't usually refer to me by name, and I noticed he didn't really to anybody when he was comfortable. But then he had said my name. I knew what that meant and self-hatred coursed through me.

Damn it all to hell! This was that man's fault! My face contorted into anger, despite my usual talent for keeping even when thinking to myself. It was hard to help, though. I was so disappointed in myself for letting that momentary trust be abused, and so angry with that man, that bully, I couldn't even comprehend trying to hide my frustration.

With a loud, 'hmph!' I tried to change mental subjects. I couldn't do anything about it now. Instead of pouting over it all, I might as well try and think of the next step. It was much more productive. I had a bully to take care of. I needed to learn as much as I could as fast as I could, I needed to help manage the Sports Day, and I needed to think up a worthy apology. I went home, and set to work on managing a plan of action.

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He was like a puzzle whose pieces were blank and split up into thousands of parts. I couldn't figure it out. I sat in my chair, staring across the room, my gaze firmly planted on Minato. Mitsuru was talking about the Sports Day, which was coming up very fast, at the head of the meeting room. She was checking up on how our jobs were coming along and encouraging us to keep going. If we were going to dedicate to something, we were going to go all the way. I was only partially listening. I knew Minato wasn't listening at all.

Our gazes were matched. Neither of us relented. His soft gray eyes met my hard ones. It'd been two days since the day at his dormitory. We hadn't spoken to each other at all since. We hardly even locked gazes. He was trapped today, and since the meeting itself was exceedingly boring, Minato had decided to see how I would react to him staring at me. It was interesting, but it was a game I was all too good at. He would never beat me in a stare-down. It'd taken me years, but I had perfected my condescending, yet uninterested, glare which was always accompanied by my thin scowl.

Minato had talent despite this disadvantage. His neutral expression was always incomprehensible, and it was hard to tell if he what he was thinking. I couldn't tell whether or not if he was growing uncomfortable or irritated.

"Odagiri-san," Mitsuru said sharply. My eyes slowly rolled up to meet her. I lessened my scowl and let it develop into a belittling smirk. I was in a foul mood, I didn't want to be in the meeting but rather out at Port Island, eager to run into that man. "Your status on the Sports day, please? I would appreciate it if you kept any flirting outside of this room," she added, and several of the members let a slight chuckle pass them through. I pretended not to hear that remark.

"Gomen nasai, Kirijo-san," I drawled, standing and glancing briefly to my pages. "I've elected a couple of trustworthy students to assist with keeping order, and we will patrol each sports station to keep an eye out for any misbehavior. That will be the gist of it, Kirijo-san." I sat back down, looking vaguely sarcastic and even more vaguely irritated. The meeting continued and his eyes rolled back to Minato's.

To my surprise, the other was shutting his eyes, a hand nursing his head. Then, as the light shone through that solid group of blue hair that concealed his right eye, I saw it. A dark purple ring curled around his eye. My own eyes widened briefly, taking in this new development, and that was just when the other's gray eyes fluttered open to catch in my surprise. For a whole second, maybe even less than, I saw right through him. For that whole second, I could see what he was thinking, what he was feeling, like a window had opened right up in his mind.

He was anxious. He didn't want to be around me. He didn't want me to see his weakness. There was a hint of fear, but not because of me. Maybe not even because of what had hurt him. I couldn't figure that last bit out. I saw his pain; his stomach was hurting him a great deal and his eye was making his head pound. Then, as quick as I had this window, it was gone, and everything became unreadable once again.

Stunned by what I had recognized in his expression, I quickly glanced to Mitsuru and pretended to be interested, for his benefit. That was the last straw, I decided. This had to stop. That man was causing Minato pain. What kind of friend did I think I was, by letting this happen this long? I'd been worried about what Mitsuru would do, anxious over what Minato would do about it, but now I knew I could no longer hide. I had to do this. I had to end this. And I would, as soon as this meeting was over.

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Minato caught me by the gates as I left school. His fingers grabbed my arm, quickly, but it caught my attention. The silent other gave me his neutral look, but it melted briefly into something a little more concerned. "I'm okay," he said in his soft mumble. "Really."

"I don't believe that," I replied. "You can't convince me. You have little proof to back your claim up." My stubbornness was glowing through again. I hoped it wouldn't scare him off this time, because there was little I would do to stop it.

Minato's eyes fluttered distinctly to irritation. I almost smiled; I'd never seen so much emotion from him all in one day. I wondered if he had a fever again. However, I humored him, trying not to think he looked a little silly with that pout. "I…Don't mess with Takaya…" the boy mumbled, voice still refusing to rise. "He's...not your concern, Hidetoshi. You'll get hurt."

"Takaya, hm?" I repeated. A name. I had a name. I let my eyes slide to meet his fully, and I tried not to smirk at his steady gaze. "I will be fine, Minato. I believe that a bully will be easy to handle. I cannot allow him to harm you any further. It'd be a shame if he left anything more than a single scar upon your body." The boy seemed to have a hard time finding the right thing to say after that. I continued to walk, my legs carrying me along. I expected him to continue to follow me.

Suddenly, I felt his hand on my arm again. I turned to pull it back, but Minato jumped me with a question. "Hidetoshi-kun, will you come with me to the mall?" he asked, blinking at me with those gray eyes. "You don't go out much, right? Besides, I'm meeting up with Junpei. You guys seem to like each other." I hadn't heard so much from his lips at one time before, and I was a little surprised (and I was even more surprised when he thought that I actually liked _Junpei_), but a biting guilt rose up in my stomach.

Damn it. I couldn't say no and proceed with my plan. Takaya would have to wait. It took me a moment to realize, from the sudden blankness in his gaze, that he knew it too. I gave him a sneer, but nodded my head. Minato could beat me at my own game after all, for his lips curled into an emasculating smirk that made me feel a little silly for agreeing. I remembered why I was so fond of him to begin with and we made our way to the Paulownia Mall.

"S'up dudes?" Junpei greeted, making his way over to us as we entered. He slapped Minato's back happily, who made a small noise, and when he dared get close to me, I glanced to him. If looks could kill, he'd be six feet under. Apparently feeling the daggers from my gaze, he just greeted me with his big stupid smile. He turned to Minato. "So, I was thinking, why don't we karaoke until it got dark? If our throats hurt, we can always hit that coffee shop there. I swear, I feel handsome when I drink that stuff."

"It's full of monkey pheromones," I told him, pretending to be dead serious. "If you drink too much of that stuff, Iori, you'll grow hair in funny places."

"No I won't!" Junpei replied, but the uncertainty in his tone made me want to chuckle. Minato was smiling his faint smile, looking as amused as I wanted to be.

"It's true," I continued; I liked to see him smile. I tried not to make it too obvious that I was watching him as I spot, but instead tried to pretend my eyes were on Junpei's stupid face. "You know why that one girl stopped coming to school, don't you? They said it was apathy syndrome, but…ah…" I glanced around, like it was taboo to speak of, but I gestured for Junpei to grow closer. The other, sucked in completely, took a brave few steps closer. I whispered, "She had gotten monkey ears, like a furry!"

Minato laughed his soft, quiet laugh. Junpei whipped around to look at him, took a moment to think, and then he whirled around on me indignantly. "You liar! You can't fool me!" I chuckled at him.

"I just did…didn't I?"

"Shut up!"

"Junpei," came a sudden voice. We all turned towards the entrance, where there stood Akihiko, the boxer. "Minato. And Odagiri-san, too. Can I hang with you guys? Mitsuru's…" He anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. I was about to tell him that my first name was fine for him to use, but Junpei exploded with loud words that made my mind freeze up.

"Ooh! Lovers' spat!" Junpei teased. "So you're sleeping on the couch tonight, Sanada?" Minato smiled at Akihiko's furious red blush.

"W-What!? N-No! I--What were you--But I don't--I--"

"You're blabbering, Akihiko-san," I reminded him gently. Akihiko shut his mouth and let his crimson flush crow darker. For a boxing captain, he seemed pitifully incapable at taking jabs. Did he perhaps have a crush on Mitsuru? It wasn't my business, but gossip was hard to ignore. I smirked to myself anyway, amused by his embarrassment.

"Anyway," Minato voiced quietly. "Akihiko, want to go do karaoke with us?"

"I-I wouldn't mind," he stammered, having a hard time recovering. Junpei was doubled over in laughter by that point, and his moronic guffaws ground on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. The four of us, after I practically blackmailed Junpei into silencing, headed up into Club Mandragora. I was uncomfortable, but luckily, I wasn't planning on joining them. Akihiko and I hung back in the back of the club while Junpei and Minato took the stage for a karaoke duel. We bought ourselves beverages, which Junpei had obviously forgotten he could do here, and we broke into small talk about petty things.

I sipped lightly on my Sprite, eyes watching the lyrics play across the screen as Junpei shook his money-maker on the stage. "Sanada-san," I said softly.

"Akihiko is fine."

"Akihiko, please do me two favors? Carve out my eyes and render me deaf, if you would." He snorted on his pop and took a few moments to recover between his gasps and coughs. When Junpei finished his 'wailing', as there was no other word to cover the horrible noises he'd emitted, the after-school crowd of patrons visibly relaxed.

"That, uh, was Junpei Iori's performance," announced the slightly traumatized waitress. "W-Wonderful. A plus in, uh, effort." Junpei took a bow, unable to see the pain he'd caused. Minato went up to the mike, giving his friend a small, happy smile. I jealously wished that smile had been for me. The boy whispered with the waitress for a moment, discussing his song, and soon it was he who was up there, singing into the mike. I was surprised for a moment; I figured someone with his quiet personality would've refused to do something like this, but I appeared to be wrong. He seemed to like being up on that stage, under other peoples' gazes.

Junpei, who had chosen something he was sure would make him hot with the ladies, had looked like an idiot on stage. Minato, on the other hand, with his combined skills of charm and even bravery, seemed to feel and look natural up there. He sang something I didn't recognize, but Akihiko told me it was the kid's favorite song, 'Burn My Dread'. It sounded too fluffy for the kid until it kicked up near the end. No, he wouldn't be winning any Grammies, but he had a decent voice on him. It was nice to listen to, even if it sounded like he was trying too hard to be louder than he was usually. Junpei came and sat beside Aki and myself during his song.

"He needs to listen to the master," Junpei sighed, shaking his head. "He'll never get any girls like that."

"Master of what?" Akihiko asked.

"Singing, Akihiko-kun, what else!?" he said, and I tried not to chuckle. I sipped my pop instead.

When the boys could sing no more and it was rather late, we all headed towards Port Station. I could feel all of their eyes' on me, as though they were waiting to see if I was going to go another way. "I live in the same area as you," I reminded them dully. "I need to take the monorail too."

"Iwatodai's best," came a sudden chuckle. We all turned our heads. My eyes widened, jaw going ever so slightly agape. "What a coincidence we meet."

"Strega," Junpei snarled between his teeth. I glanced to them, confused, but I was shocked to find they were all squared, ready for a fight.

"Hidetoshi," Minato snapped. "Get out of here. Shut up," he added, before I could ask anything. I turned again to the three people my source had told me about. The pale male, Takaya I assumed, a girl in a Lolita-style dress, and a male carrying a silver briefcase whilst toying with a silver ball in his free hand all stood there, looking at us with smiles. The man had a gun tucked into his pants. My gut instinct came back to me; _He _is_ a murderer!_

Then, suddenly, I heard Akihiko say, "Sh--The Dark--!" His statement never finished. A second passed. I turned around, looking, but I found they were gone. I stared, and then looked back to where this 'Strega' had been. Gone. What? I spun around, looking for anything that had shown they were there to begin with. They were gone. I didn't understand. How could they just disappear? It wasn't possible.

"Minato?" I called, unnerved, maybe even spooked. "Minato?"

It was to no avail. He was gone. I was alone. I went home alone. I tried to call, but his phone was off. So I sat in my bed, and allowed myself to feel utterly confused. What had happened to them? Who were this 'Strega' group? And what the hell had I actually gotten myself into!?

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End Note: I want to thank broken.ningyo (again) for helping me with some errors I made! 


	5. Back to the Dorm

Author's Note: Took a while to update. Sorry. Busy life and ADD do not mix very well. This is probably shorter than usual, so sorry about that! Please read and review for me, I love to know if you're reading! Anyway, here we go!

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"Hey, you." My eyes fluttered up. The library was teeming with life as students wandered around, trying to cram until their heads exploded. Exams were coming up, and summer break was to follow. I hadn't realized how fast time had passed. Sports Day was tomorrow, Saturday, as a sort of kick off to exam week to help loosen up our stressed minds. I was trying to study the best I could, but my mind was having a hard time remaining here at Gekkoukan High.

Yukari Takeba stood over me, a book under her arm, her eyes on me. Me? Why would she be talking to me? We didn't know each other past my minor appearance at the Dorm two weeks ago. As strange as it was, I didn't completely ignore her. I just gave her a casual glance, then grunted a noise of recognition and began to attempt reading the words on the book before me.

"Hey, don't ignore me," she said indignantly, eyes rolling. "C'mon. I want to talk to you."

A harsh 'shhh!' was uttered nearby, and I let out a heavy sigh. I didn't mind the mental distraction from all of this ridiculous studying, but I couldn't let her know that. I loved to annoy people when they annoyed me to begin with. I stood, shutting my mathematics book and sliding it into my backpack, and the two of us left the library. We walked down the hallway a few paces before Yukari paused. I halted my stride, glancing back at her casually.

I crossed my arms, letting my bag sag off of my elbow. "What do you wish to speak to me about, Takeba-san?"

"Minato wanted you to come see him in the Dorm again," she said, putting her open hand on her hips. It wasn't because she was annoyed or nervous, but rather because it appeared she had nothing better to do with it.

I gave her a questioning, belittling smirk. "Why would that be? Why didn't he ask me himself? I know he was here today." Her expression hardened. I didn't like her much, and she didn't appear to like me. That was fine with me.

"He went home sick," she said icily. "I don't like playing messenger girl anyway, so don't make this harder for me."

"Why did he…?" I started, my façade dropping for a moment as concern threatened an entry.

She seemed glad to have established an upper hand, if only for a moment. "You didn't notice? From the way I always see you staring at him, I thought you would've seen it…" I turned my back on her. What had I missed? It was that god damned 'Strega' people again, wasn't it!? They'd done something to Minato again! I moved faster than my usual pace, wanting to get to Port Island station as fast as I could.

I sat on the monorail, staring into my lap, a frown creasing my face. My bag rested on the seat next to me. The sun was low outside, and I didn't realize it was so late. I should've been heading home anyway, so this stop by the Iwatodai dorm didn't bother me. Besides, all I could think about was those 'Strega' people, and what had happened a few days ago. I needed answers.

It wasn't physical possible for all of those people to have disappeared clean out of sight over the period of a second or two. There was something going on. How had a man caused that massive injury on Minato's stomach? This was way over my head, but I didn't care. Minato was my best friend, to put it simply. No one else had taken me out to karaoke, or to eat ramen at the strip mall. I wouldn't let him down as a friend.

As I approached the dorm, I knocked on the door. My father told me that just as important as a handshake, was a good strong knock on a door. My father was big on making impressions, and I supposed it now flowed through my own veins as well. I heard a girl's soft voice bid me entrance, and I moved into the main floor. Sitting at a couch, eating from a cup of ramen, was a slight girl. It was the same girl I had seen earlier when I had come to the same dorm--that green-haired one.

"Minato," she called, her voice meek. "Odagiri-san is here…"

Minato came around from the barrier, and I couldn't resist lightening my frown ever so slightly.

"Thanks, Fuuka," he said in a soft voice, and he gestured for me to follow him upstairs. It was rather reminiscent of the first time I had come to the Dorm. My feet followed whether they wanted to or not, and I gave the girl a nod as I moved away. With my eyes plastered on Minato's figure, tracing for any flaws I had managed to overlook previously, we moved upstairs but instead of lurking out by the snack machine, Minato continued straight to his room. I did not vocalize my immediate confusion, but instead silently accepted this and entered with him.

Once his door was shut, I set my bag down and crossed my arms, gazing over the blue-haired youth. "…Are you feeling alright?" I questioned quietly, voice tight. It was much harder than previously though to keep one's worry hidden. Maybe I wasn't nearly as collected as I assumed I was. Minato glanced up, he was trying to kick some stray socks and pajamas under his bed. I noticed a few bloodstained bandages as well. I held my tongue--he would explain in due time, wouldn't he?

The gray-eyed other rubbed the back of his neck in silent guilt, hesitated, then shook his head. "No…" he admitted. "I hurt pretty bad, Hidetoshi-kun…" I tensed a little, brow furrowing, and he gave me a small, comforting smile. "But...I'll be able to come to school tomorrow anyway. They aren't bad."

That having been the most I'd heard from him in a while, I wasn't sure if I should've been worried or relieved. I remained tight, expecting. When I figured out he was waiting for my reaction, I sighed and moved forward. Well, damn it all, I'd find out for myself what the damage was. "May I?" I asked, and he nodded, looking a little anxious. Rolling up his shirt, I tried to stop myself from biting my lip, but I did anyway.

The single slash across his stomach was finally scabbed over and sealed and well on its way to healing, but now…I could see discoloration across his ribs and an usual bump or two in his flesh. I curiously reached to touch, but when I did, I sincerely wished I had not. "Y-Your ribs…!" I started and he nodded, tugging his shirt back down. My stomach feeling squeamish, I crossed my arms again and watched him worriedly. "This was from…Strega, right?"

Minato's poker face appeared. I lost any contact into his emotions instantly. I pressed on anyway--now was the time for answers! "Who are Strega, Minato? Are they some sort of street gang? And…why are you involved with them?"

The blue-haired male sighed softly, and moved to sit on his bed. Massaging his chest very daintily, he mumbled, "…Strega…They're bad. They hate us. They want me…and my friends dead…We're messing something up of their's…I'm sorry…I really…can't tell you it all…"

"Why not?" I snapped. "I'm not going anywhere. I have plenty of time." I tried to tell myself to tone it down, and that I wasn't supposed to interrogate anyone; just ask questions. Minato nervously ran his fingers through his hair (I silently mused, 'this is the same kid who sung his heart out at karaoke?') and stared at the floor.

"See…Hidetoshi-kun…It's not really something you can be told…If…If you ever see it, Hidetoshi…Then I'll tell you everything," Minato promised, glancing up, and he nodded. That was the best I was going to get. I decided to let it slide. I moved to sit down next to him, peeking under his shirt again to examine his injuries.

"Why don't you go to a hospital?" I asked, a bit sharper for my taste but it was a habit. He shrugged. "The pharmacy?" He gestured to a few bottles overturned on his desk; most were cold pills and painkillers. He even had Vicodin for the main bite of his pain. "What about the blood? Are you bleeding anywhere?"

"My…um…inner thigh…" Minato replied quietly, running a thumb against where he had been cut up. I asked before I thought.

"Can I see?"

A soft pink fluttered across Minato's cheeks and a bit of a fluster overtook me. "What I meant was--" But Minato had stood and was fumbling with his belt, much to my amazement. Tugging his form-fitting jeans down just enough for the bandaged wound could be seen, (and both of us pretending to ignore the other's deepening blush as he realized I was learning his preference in underwear), he ran his thumb against the slightly stained injury.

"..It hurts to walk…but…that's about all…" Minato admitted quietly, quickly pulling his pants back up and messing with his belt again. I straightened, coughing to cover up my own personal embarrassment. Once Minato was sitting again, his gray eyes lowered in a bit of surprise of his actions, I decided to ask the other question on my mind.

"How can you be hurt so badly by them? Do they carry bear claws with them?"

Minato's stared at me blankly. "The…pastry?"

"No!" I snapped, rolling my eyes. "A literal claw of a bear. Your wounds are huge--too big for, say, a sword or a knife." Minato nodded, then shrugged and shook his head. I could tell he was not going to give me a straight answer. I sighed quietly, disappointed, but not surprised. I sat quietly next to him for an awkward bit, and then Minato let out a soft laugh.

"You're cute when you get embarrassed," he mused in his low and quiet voice. I turned slowly to look at him, eyes a little wide, jaw ever so slightly slack. My comprehension skills worked overtime in an effort to understand what had just been uttered. So thrown off by the comment, I couldn't do much but ask, "…Did you say I was cute?" Not only was I a tad offended--if anything, I wanted to hear I was handsome or devilishly good looking, not cute--but completely surprised. It made my cheeks feel a bit hotter than before.

Minato looked away and let his faint smile disappear. It was apparent he'd expected something like that to go over a bit easier. I locked my jaw and furrowed my brow. "Well," I drawled. "You're rather cute yourself when you get embarrassed." _Take that!_ No, it wasn't a very effective comeback, but damn it all, I wanted him to get all flustered in payback for those bizarre remarks. I saw a flicker of competition behind his blank gaze (perhaps that was what had driven him to participate in sports?), and then he turned to me, a challenge laid out in his carefully calculated expression.

"…Well, then," he mumbled, cheeks turning a soft pink. "…What does this make me now?" He moved forward before I could react, and his soft lips were against my cheek.


	6. Minato

A/N: Sorry this took so long. XD These chapters are beasts to type up. Thank you to my reviewers, I really appreciate them so very much!

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…_He moved forward before I could react, and his soft lips were against my cheek…Such a soft touch of affection. I couldn't think for a moment, and all I could see was his gray eyes boring into mine with curiosity. His lips retracted and then we watched each other. His lips were soft and gentle, and I could still feel where they had been pressed against my skin. My fingers moved up to touch the spot, the warmth remaining from the other's kiss. For the first time in a long while, I smiled and laughed._

"Odagiri-san, pay attention!" Mitsuru snapped as she passed by. I jerked from my memory, eyes returning to monitoring the study body as they passed by to enter the stands in the pool gym. Mitsuru gave me a curious look, then she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. Long locks cascaded over her shoulders, her legs spread just enough to give her a look of dominance. She was a woman with power and it scared the hell out of me. Minato was much easier to deal with; he was quiet and didn't really strike me as a person to fear.

Pulling herself to the side, out of the traffic of students, she moved her hands across her chest and gave me an inquisitive gaze. "It is rare for you to be off guard as such, Odagiri-san. Care to share with me what is interrupting your duty?" I shook my head, sneering and jerking my chin up. Showing her that I didn't care what she said, showing her that I was on top of everything in my jurisdiction. With a grand sweep of my hand, I gave her a cocky smirk.

"My mind wanders, but never too far, Kirijo-san. I do not think you should worry," I replied evenly, and with a raised eyebrow, she let out a small chuckle of bemusement and let me be. She sided the boxing champ, Akihiko, who gave me a faint wave as he was pulled into the stands. He had his own sport to participate in later, but for now, it was the swimming team's time to shine.

I fought to stay focused, but that was so very hard when all I wanted to think about was that little peck. It had been so…sickeningly _adorable_ to see his cheeks turn a hot red after I began to laugh. He got flustered, but knew I was perfectly fine with the concept. It had made me laugh a bit harder than I would've liked, actually. Though this meant that perhaps he was drawing me more out of my usual self, and into the person I wanted to become. He was such a strange boy, he was offbeat and so quiet…but I had noticed his effect on many around me. I especially noticed this effect on myself.

Would I have ever gone to 'hang' with other boys? No, I consider it obnoxious and unproductive. However, he had lured me out into daylight with the company of boys who irritated the shit out of me. Would I have ever 'visited' another residence on reasons I knew weren't related to student council to business? Probably not, for I just wasn't very comfortable with such things. Would I have ever gone out and watched the idiots sing 'karaoke' before? No, never in my life could I have imagined doing such a thing. I knew his presence had greatly changed my life…and I believed, for the better.

There was a graze along my sleeve, forcing my eyes to focus again. I looked to my side, startled and expecting it to be Mitsuru again. But instead, I found my gaze meeting those unreadable gray eyes that I found dancing in my mind so often today. Opening my mouth to ask something, I shut it and smirked. Minato jammed his hands into his pockets after cranking up the volume on his headphones, and he leaned back against the wall behind me. My stomach did a happy little flip when I realized he was going to stay by me. Then my stomach filled with dread as I heard, "S'up, dude?"

A slap on my back, followed by Junpei's loud laugh. "Hah, you listen to such emo bullshit, Minato-kun!" he boomed. Trying not to turn on him and snarl at him to sit his self down, I merely folded my arms and scowled unhappily. As I should know from my own experience, Minato was a person you naturally approached. So out of the crowd came some familiar faces; Kenji Tomochika and Kazushi Miyamoto (dressed in his swimgear and looking pumped up) made their way from the crowd. Soon, the group (meaning Kenji, Kazushi, and Junpei, since Minato saved his words from such meaningless conversation) was blabbering on about the swim team's soon-to-be-shown performance.

"You guys are going to totally going to show everybody just how embarrassing it is to be in a little rubber hat," Junpei taunted, tugging his cap backwards and grinning. "While it's still so awesome to be wearing caps." Kenji snatched it and put it on his own head, throwing back his head and letting out stupid guffaws.

"I am Junpei," he said in a high voice. "I think dressing like a punk is sexy! That's why I want to get up in Aragaki's--"

"Shaddup!" Junpei snapped back, reaching for his hat, but Kazushi had taken it and held it high up, grinning cockily. Minato turned his volume up a little louder, but the scene was obviously amusing him. The same could not be said for me. Turning sharply on my heels, I strode forward, took the hat, and flung it across the room.

Jerking my chin, about to growl like a feral dog, but Minato had left the wall and gone to obediently grab the hat. Handing it to Junpei like a trained dog and then looked to me with a small little smile. My fire died and I lost the sharp words that had been on my tongue. Kenji laughed, smacking my back (I swear, the next person who does that…), and gave me a friendly and warm grin.

"See? It's irresistible. You can't say no to that face, can you? He's like a toddler, but I guess that makes us like mushy big kids, right?" Kenji said, and I let out a 'humph' instead of answering. Hiding my blush with a scowl, because I knew he was right. Minato had a sort of magic, and trying to fight against it would just leave you feeling rather shallow in your stomach.

"Oh sh-- I got to go, guys. I'll totally show up my teammates, just you see!" Kazushi boasted, then ran off to go join the rest of the team. I caught the glance of longing in Minato's gaze, and I knew he wanted to participate too. Kenji dismissed himself so he could go stand in the stands, but Minato remained, and so in turn did Junpei. I stood by the two, but not close enough to really engage in conversation. I did have a job to do, after all.

He could hear them nonetheless. Junpei tugged at his hat, pouting. "Aragaki…If he heard that, I get the feeling he'd pummel my ass into the dirt…Remember that wicked headbutt he gave…" Conversation faded out at Yuko Nishiwaki, swim team manager, pulled up a megaphone and began to introduce the swim team. I didn't really pay attention to what went on--I heard yells and calls as the boys began to race against each other, but my mind was drifting away again. It drifted until it finally reached a destination…

The rest of Sports Day went off without a hitch. The student body enjoyed themselves, watching their peers compete so strongly with their own teammates. Akihiko dominated single-handedly when it came to boxing, and I even found myself smiling up at him as he threw his hands up and grinned through his mouth guard.

I found myself remaining at the school long after the day had ended. I was cleaning up some of the mess in the bleachers in the track field, (cigarettes, mostly, and it made me want to spit on whoever had left them there after I got their asses into suspension, so this would require some investigation but not now), but I knew it was getting late. I was tired, and my brain felt a bit fuzzy from being so far-off all day. As I grabbed my bag and was about to head off for home, I heard the familiar noise of Minato's 'emo bullshit' music. I turned my head, and saw that he was looking dizzy himself. He was nursing his thigh a little awkwardly, which looked very interesting from my point of view. I moved to him and stabilized him, then giving him a questioningly look.

"Heh…painkillers..." the boy chuckled wryly, eyes watering a little. I remembered what his injuries looked like…and it made my stomach churn at the thought of what kind of pain he would be in without his medicine. "At...home…I can't...see so straight, Hide-kun." I blushed at the name, but said nothing on it. I gingerly supported him, trying not to bump his ribs or cause him to put weight on his bad leg. Minato's bag slid from his free hand limply, and I knew he was just to thrown out to be very mobile at the moment. Helping him carefully, I guided him to the bleachers and dropped my bag onto a bench. I helped him down and put him on his back, then I sat on the bench up, watching down over him.

"I'm going to wait until you're asleep to bring you home," I admitted to him. "You'll hurt and maybe open up your wounds if we try when you're awake. I'll just carry you." A weak little smirk pulled at his pale lips, and he turned his head to see me clearer.

"You're too weak…"

It was my turn to smirk. "Maybe. More than you can say at the moment, though, Minato-kun." The other let a tight chuckle escape him, and his gray eyes fluttered shut. Breathing harshly through clenched teeth as his wounds pulsed. He clutched at his thigh, but my fingers pulled his back so he couldn't inflict damage to the injury. "I'm going to slide your pants down a bit, Minato-kun. Perhaps it'll relieve some of the pressure?" We both blushed, but his was short lived and he let out a short-breathed grunt of agreement. I moved and did as I had said, trying not to blush, and then I pulled my coat from my bag. Rest it over the other's groin and upper thighs, for his sake.

For a while, we sat quietly. He hissed and grunted, and I watched him and the fading sun. Then, finally, I decided to fill the silence. "When I was little," I said softly. "I went to go play with some kids. They were a bit bigger and older than me, but I stayed with them anyway. I didn't go outside a lot, and therefore I lacked quite a bit of common sense pertaining to things such as the higher you climb in a tree, the harder it is to get back down." My fingers circled the seat next to me slowly. I hadn't remembered that in a long time, that memory… "I climbed the tree along with another boy. He knew how to get back down, but I got stuck. I was scared.

"I tried to move, but I slipped and fell. I don't remember waking up until a little later; the boys had all left me and my mother was carrying me home…I'd broken my leg and sprained my wrist from the fall. I didn't go outside much after that…I was kind of raised with my head in a textbook and probably up my own ass as well. Father was always a stickler for rules, though…Just kind of grew on me." I tried not to let it be shown that I had made myself uncomfortable. I had become a real prat, hadn't I? Such a rule enforcer…It'd been a little more of a shallow existence than I had realized it to be. I had been lonely, and I had no one who wanted to hang with me. Except…Except Minato…

Minato cleared his throat sleepily. I could tell he was beginning fade out. It was getting darker. "…When I was a small boy…" he whispered. "I lost my parents in a car crash…After that…I was a foster care kid, since I had no other living relations…" His fingers moved and rested weakly on his chest, feeling his broken ribs weakly. "…My voice had gone missing, so…I could never answer them…I knew they hated me because I couldn't talk…I liked it better that way, really…I…never liked words much anyway." I felt my stomach flip again. I knew very little about Minato--about his past, about his present, about everything. Anything he gave me, I would take with vigor.

"That's…I'm sorry," I told him quietly. He didn't reply, because I knew he was asleep. "I'm sorry you lost your voice, Minato…I'm glad you have it back, though." I gathered up our bags, and I tugged his jeans up but didn't zip them, knowing that maybe the tightness would wake him. He was pretty much out cold though, and I very carefully pulled him into my arms like he was a small child. I was hardly strong enough to carry him as such, but somehow, I made it through the school without dropping him, or getting caught by late-night monitors. The sky was rather dark now, and I let out a soft moan when I learned…the school gates had been locked. I gingerly set Minato down on the ground, very careful not to disturb his sleep, and I went to the gate.

It was very, very firmly locked. So I tugged Minato on the other side of some of the hedges, pulled him into my lap so we were less obviously, and I leaned against the wall. We were hidden away…we were safe…I was pretty tired, and I figured we weren't going anywhere at the moment. I let my eyes shut…and I entered a very comfortable sleep. Minato was warm in my lap and I felt pretty good, despite my back being against hard brick.

I slept soundly…until I opened my eyes when I felt Minato moving. The instant I opened my eyes, I felt my sound disappear. I gawked up in shock, the air feeling tight. Hands moved and grabbed my shoulders, but I was staring up at my school. No…this wasn't Gekkoukan High anymore…This…I didn't know what it was, but it was goliath. My head felt like it was imploding, I was in pain, and I felt everything start to slip. First hearing…now my touch was fading, my mind wanted to go very far away….

Then I saw it. The moon. Standing alone in a green sky. A hand slapped over my eyes…and that was the last thing I could recall from that moment. I slumped, unconscious, but I heard Minato breathing in relief, "He's…not Lost…Thank…" just before my world went dark all over again.


	7. Fever and Persona

A/N: Aha. This chapter's dedicated to all of my lovely reviewers. Especially my fan artist, Kitsune-Prophet. So, here we go!

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The first thing I felt slip from my mouth was a very ungraceful cuss when my consciousness returned. My body felt numb and I couldn't quite sit up, but my eyes fluttered open. Light blinded me and I winced, but after some time, my world began to focus a bit better. Then my mind decided to give me a reality check, which was unpleasant indeed. My skin was tight on my body, and my brain felt as though it was slamming against my temples in a desperate attempt to escape. It wasn't quite agony, per se, but more of an uncomfortable state of being. 

A few more cusses escaped me. A hand touched my temple and I wanted to yell out in surprise. The skin was cool and had made me catch my breath. It was now that I actually began to _think_, something that had eluded me for the last few minutes. Where the hell was I? What had happened? What was I doing before I had blacked out? I couldn't remember anything…ugh…My head was pounding, my mouth was dry; everything felt tight and disjointed…

"Hide," I heard over me, and my eyes fluttered to the side. An all-too familiar set of gray eyes greeted me (two of them, which was one more than I was familiar with), and his hand moved to my cheek. "You have a really bad fever, Hide." I released a hot breath, nodding sluggishly in concurrence. That _would_ explain a majority of my discomfort…but I don't think that covered everything. I opened my mouth to speak, but he gave me one of his sweet smiles and my vision turned hazy. I let my mouth go slack. "You've been asleep for a few days now. Your fever hasn't broken yet, but Mitsuru-senpai says it will soon." It was a lot of words out of him. I took them in in silence appreciation, and then I rolled my head so I was facing him completely.

Minato's blue hair was tucked behind an ear, so both of his eyes were in sight. Many of the hairs had strayed back stubbornly in his eye anyway, but for once I could completely see the pair. "Get a haircut," I mumbled, then swallowed and smirked. I was currently unaware I was saying what I was thinking; to me, my thoughts remained inside of my pounding skull. "You've got good eyes…" Minato's cheeks turned a bit pink, and he then fussed his hair back into his face just to make me realize what I had said. My already hot cheeks glowed a little more. Then I had to harsh the buzz.

"The green…sky…the moon…there was our school…" I started, the thought coming out deformed and incomprehensible to anyone who wasn't Minato, but Minato was Minato…and the thought was painfully clear. The other's playful smile faded away, leaving him with nothing but his blank gaze. I cursed myself, but continued to look at him in expectance. I wasn't quite sure what I had spewed out, but fragments of that memory were in my mind. "What…was that?" I added, as though I hadn't already made it clear that I wanted the question answered. I said it through heaved breaths; my mind was tired and I wanted to sleep. I couldn't think very well, and I didn't quite want to be caught so unguarded. I had a lot of secrets I kept to myself, and in this state, I knew they would slip off of my tongue like water off a duck's back.

Minato put a finger to his lips, gray eye unreadable. I had killed it. He had retracted into his silence, and I wasn't going to get anything from him now. I let my eyes shut, knowing it would be stupid to keep trying. Before I fell back into my fever-induced sleep, I felt him rest something wet on my head. I assumed it was a damp cloth, since my mother had done something similar of the sort to me when I was sick in my youth. It…was very pleasant. I smiled, and then once again as lost to the heat of my fever.

----------------

"Give me the basket," I demanded groggily. I sat forward, tugging my robes over my shoulders, and threw out my hand expectantly. Minato, my personal maid, dived to comply, grabbing the basket and thrusting it into my hand. Once I had rid the sick from my system, I grunted, setting the basket aside. It was officially day ten of my horrible fever. It had broken earlier that morning, but I had been purging my guts since. As much of an emperor I felt like at the moment, I really felt disgusted with myself for being so sick in front of Minato. He was like the puppy I imagined I'd wanted; loyal to a point of pity, and without an unkind bone in his body. I just felt…I don't know, but I didn't like to be watched when being so disgusting and plainly 'yucky'.

Somewhere along the line, Akihiko had changed me from my school uniform and into one of his lay-around robes he kept in his closet. Minato had asked him to, since I knew he would've gotten too flustered stripping me down. I couldn't quite recall when this had occurred, but I bet it was during my time of constant sleep. I was actually pretty glad I was asleep, in all reality. They were very comfortable clothes nonetheless, and I was sleeping well in them. I had learned by now that I was in a spare room at Minato's dormitory, and they were keeping my parents updated on my whereabouts so they didn't fret.

In a very vague manner, Minato described how he had woken up and found me sick at the school. He took me to his home, without explaining exactly how when he was still injured, and set me up. He wanted to skip school, a habit which I very wish to discourage before it had a chance to start, but a man called Ikutsuki had volunteered to watch me during the week for him. Minato had been very unwilling about this, but had gone along with it since Ikutsuki was the only one who didn't go to school who hung around at the Dorm at his own free will.

I was going to be able to go home soon, and I was kind of grateful. Some privacy would've been nice, but I was also saddened by this realization. Having Minato on hand and foot whenever I came to was…something I actually liked quite a bit. Not the 'hand and foot' part, but just having him nearby made me feel really good. Someone _wanted_ to be there for me…It was something I had never felt before, and it really made my upset stomach feel a little funny. Sometimes it would drag a smile out of me; but I quickly hid that before Minato saw. I wanted to make it seem like I wasn't getting enough attention as I already was, since I wanted to take complete advantage of Minato's overwhelming kindness.

I fixed my robe again, as it kept sliding down my pale shoulder because Akihiko was generally bigger and taller than I was. He was a nice to share it with me, and I owed him quite a bit of thanks later. I turned to look at Minato, numbly wiping my mouth and giving him a smirk.

"You know that soup Yamagishi-san had made for me?" I asked. He nodded. "I liked it best the first time it was in my mouth, and as dinner." He laughed a soft, quiet laugh--a shy laugh, I had decided. It was as though laughing was something he just didn't do very often. It made me a little sad to think of it like that, but I knew it was probably the truth. It was hard to drag a laugh out of the damn kid.

In a pondering way, I rested my chin on my elbow, leaning forward a little. My hair was a total mess, because I hadn't slicked it back in days nor had I even combed it out, and I worried for a moment if it was going to end up looking like Minato's cut. I knew it wouldn't, since he had tried hard to get it angled as such, but it still made me anxious. I liked seeing out of both eyes, and frankly, I didn't know how he could maneuver so damn well with just one eye!

I know it had really iced over Minato before…but I don't think I could be patient anymore for him. I gazed to him sideways, my fingers on my slightly pink cheeks. "Minato-kun," I started slowly. With my free hand, I drew a circle into the fabric of the blanket that was across me. "I need to know now. What happened to me? I saw a green world--I saw our school, but that wasn't our school. It…It was a monstrosity. It oozed blood here and there…I had a few nightmares about it, actually." I looked up. His eyes had hardened. Just staring at me blankly, as though he had no clue what I was talking about.

We both knew damn well he knew exactly what I was talking about. I knew that this was the most vital of the information I would ever get from him, I knew that this was the information that tied a lot of the mysteries together. Strega, their disappearances that one night, and Minato's injuries. The true answer to all of this would come about through this; I knew it! I just had to get Minato to spill!

"Don't keep me in the dark," I added in a soft, coaxing voice. It felt strange on my tongue, but it had seemed to help quite a bit in Minato's decision. He stood up, and slid his hands in his pockets. He made to leave me, which made me feel quite hurt indeed, but he paused by the door. He peeked outside for a moment, then he looked up into the corner of the room. He locked the door, and then grabbed the chair from the desk nearby. He stood up on it and put his hand over the corner. Then he looked back at me. Though this behavior made me feel very uneasy…I knew he was going to tell me.

With gentle words and careful explanations, he explained to me The Dark Hour. He talked about the Shadows, and about his gift of Persona. He explained what was really behind Apathy Syndrome and the Lost, and about what Strega was, in short. When he was done, he jumped down from the chair and unlocked the door. I threw up into my basket again, heaved for a moment so I could get quite a bit of it from my system, and then I went to ask him questions when I looked up.

Ikutsuki had Minato by his arm, and he didn't look very amused (like he usually did whenever I saw him at Gekkoukan). Minato looked aside, gaze very blank. I wasn't very amused, either.

"You…aren't expecting me…" I started, but I knew that Minato wasn't lying. He didn't lie to me; not about something like that. As ridiculous as it sounded…as freaking crazy as it seemed, I didn't think it was made up. I don't believe in superstitions or fairy tales or the paranormal or any of that crap, but I got a feeling in my stomach that what I had seen was what Minato had described. I scowled. "Is he in trouble for telling me that?"

"Perhaps," Ikutsuki chuckled. It was a very dry chuckle. "He did leave out an important part, though. It involves you." Minato tugged sharply on his arm, eyes flashing but remaining downcast. I was tense, and I wiped my mouth, giving him an even look.

"Do tell."

Ikutsuki chuckled again, letting Minato go, and the boy shoved his hands into his pockets. "Well, Odagiri-san, you are quite the miracle. You experienced the Dark Hour, and by all rights, you should've become one of the Lost. Surely you felt your mind being invaded?" I didn't say anything. "I know for a fact that you do not have a Persona, as Arisato-san does. You aren't like him at all. Yet you remain very different from a normal person." I was silent; I didn't know what to say. I knew I wasn't like Minato. That much didn't surprise me.

His next words did. "So, I think I need to see what happens if you were to wake up in the Dark Hour again."

"No!" Minato burst out, his eyes whipping up to Ikutsuki's. "His last experience made him this sick! He could get Apathy Syndrome! Or…Or…"

"He could die?"

I felt very uncomfortable in my stomach at this point. I didn't know what to say; I knew I was scared. I was very scared. Who was this man? His friendly exterior was freezing over with his real personality; it made me very, very nervous. I emphasize very for a reason; because really sounds too wishy-washy and all other words of that nature wouldn't come to mind.

I stood. I knew I shouldn't stand, and my legs wanted to buckle under me, but I tugged up the shoulder and I sneered, arms crossing. "You will do no such thing with me. I am going home now. I have enough authority as Student Council Vice President, and head of the Disciplinary Committee, and as friends with Mitsuru Kirijo that I can, and I will, have you fired and removed if you dare cause me, or Minato, harm." Power felt so good to use. I knew I would probably have dominance issues my entire life, but for right now, I was glad I liked to abuse it. "Step aside. I am not afraid of you, or your threats." Ikutsuki nodded, a very betraying smirk on his warm face, and stepped aside. Numbly, I reached down and slid on my shoes, then grabbed my clothes. I'd return Akihiko's robes later. I…I needed to get out of here.

I moved quickly down the stairs, though I almost fell several times along the way, and I moved through the lower level swiftly. I did not acknowledge Akihiko, Mitsuru, or Junpei as I walked past. I was outside, and well on my way towards home before my legs gave out on me. I cursed myself for my lingering illness, but I was grateful my headache and upset stomach seemed to be lessening. Fear was a pretty good medication in my case, I supposed.

"Hide-kun," Minato said quietly, coming up to me. Since I was unable to really get up, I was just trying to squirm into my pants so I didn't stick out and look so damn foolish. Well, I looked pretty silly, trying to get my pants on while sitting. Minato stood in front of me with a sad look, and I tried not to gaze up. My heart was racing; my fear was catching up faster. My hands were shaking. Minato crouched down and took them, trying to steady them, and looked at me. Simply, I tried to gaze away and pull my hands away to zip up my pants. He didn't let me, and forced me to look at him.

"Hide-kun…I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Don't…" he whispered, sounding pained. "I…just didn't want you to feel so left out, Hide. Now…you might…be in trouble…" I grit my teeth, but I knew my eyes were losing their shields. Eventually, I just let it drop…and I gazed down.

"…I'm scared," I murmured. "I'm scared. Is he going to actually going to do something?" Minato gave me a weak gaze. He didn't know. I swallowed hard, feeling that tremble worsen in my hands. I opened my mouth to talk again, but one of his fingers pressed against my lips. Running a hand over my hair, flattening it a bit for me, he moved forward and pressed a kiss against my lips. It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. I was paralyzed until I decided that I was enjoying this.

I pressed back, parting my lips a bit so it was easier and not feeling so forced. The tenseness in our bodies loosened a little, and soon the tremble left my hands. Smart boy, I thought. Smart boy.

When he pulled away, I gave him a thankful smile. He nodded, then gave me a soft smile back. He pulled me into a side alley once he had dragged me to my feet, and he helped me change incognito back into my school uniform. It took me a moment to properly adjust the banner on my arm, and then I nodded. I handed him Akihiko's robes, and he ran his fingers over my messed up hair.

"You should get a haircut," he teased, and I blushed. A little off guard. He didn't usually taunt. I laughed softly, and he nodded. "Good. I'm…glad you're feeling better, Hide-kun…Please, take care getting home." He waved, and left with the robes. I remained in the alley for a moment or two, feeling my lips, and then I smiled a little broader. Nodding in response belatedly, then I left the side alley and continued home. It was late afternoon, and growing a bit dark out, but I didn't notice. I was walking on air. I turned a corner blindly, and between my eyes I met the view of a cold, metal barrel of a handgun. _That_, I did notice. It was a bit of a buzz kill.


	8. Ache

A/N: This chapter is long. Just warning you. XD My fan artist is supremely awesome for sitting on me and blackmailing me with threats of no fanart, so that's why this is up earlier than usual. I think I'm going to bump the rating to 'T', because of the language, and suggestion of stuff later on in this chapter.

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The gun pulled back from my head after a few seconds passed. The gaunt man let a bottle of pills slip from his fingers and into the expecting hand of a dark, brooding punk that I was all-too familiar with. I kept my mouth shut, knowing that I was currently still in danger of getting shot by Takaya of Strega, so during that few moments I decided to gather my bearings. Takaya and the punk were standing close to the corner of the building, trying to look incognito and not blatantly obvious. Takaya let the gun fall slack in his fingers once he realized that it was only me; the boy who hung out often with Arisato. Then he tightened it again when he remembered that it was me; the boy who hung out often with Arisato.

Stuffing the pills into his pocket, the punk started to walk off. He brushed past me, and grabbed my arm in the process. "I'll take care of him," he growled, and Takaya chuckled in bemusement.

"See that you do. In a week, then, you'll have what I want?" the gaunt man asked. The punk grunted, and Takaya began to walk off. I was dragged aside by the punk before I could watch where he went. He wheeled me around so I was staring right up at him, and by this point, I was still a bit tongue-tied. I didn't typically run into gun barrels, so I was a tad jarred.

The punk glanced me over, then snorted and loosened his grasp. "Pretend you didn't see that, Odagiri. For your own sake."

I smirked, finally recovering my voice and my confidence. My arms crossed and I raised my chin defiantly. "Aragaki, I can handle myself. Strega does not make me anxious." The information I had been told was still sinking in, but I was determined to use it against Shinjiro Aragaki. He and I had been something of rivals; unwritten and under the radar. He's a punk, and I hate him for it. There was the rivalry and hatred. The list wasn't long, and the reason a little vague, but rule-breakers got under my skin and made me want to hand out common sense on flyers.

Takaya had disappeared into thin air when I glanced around, as he seemed to be abnormally good at, so I decided we were safe from Strega. Whether or not I was safe from Aragaki was a completely different story. There was a need to tread carefully around the punk, as he had one of the most infamous headbutts around Iwatodai. As I turned back to Aragaki, I mentally braced myself for his scowl and the threat of harm. For one split second, my brain decided to go on a different subject altogether; _gee,_ it thought. _My life is awfully exciting these days, isn't it? I almost miss studying before I go to bed now._

Then my brain remembered where it was and it came back into focus. Shinjiro, despite my theory, looked a little surprised. This made me surprised in turn, as I usually saw only two expressions from Aragaki. Brooding and sullen. He was sullen when I caught him attempting to skip school. He was brooding when he was in detention. He was sullen when I gave him a lecture about being a rule-breaker and a general failure. He was brooding when he was assigned clean-up duty for the locker room. Both looked potentially homicidal and suicidal at the same time. Which was why surprise gave me a bit of a start.

Aragaki took me by my arm again and dragged me into the shadows completely, pulling me much closer than I would've liked. A little invaded, even, but I kept my mouth shut. He was taller and stronger and probably older than I was, and speaking might make me lose my front teeth or break my nose. My mother was probably already worried about me since I had been sick at someone else's house for about a week. If I came home bloodied, she would probably pass out. The punk pressed me against the wall, fingers tight on my arm. The surprise gone and replaced with inquisitive frustration.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked in a sharp voice. "Strega. Was it from Aki's friends?"

I raised an eyebrow, and swallowed while I tried to remember what had been on my mind just seconds ago. Strega. I had mentioned Strega? What? Oh yeah. His gaze was horrible. It cut right through me and had wiped my mind clean. This was why I tried not to see Aragaki out of school, which was usually something I could accomplish. "A-Akihiko Sanada?" I asked quietly. He grunted. I nodded sluggishly, like I had rocks for brains. This was when I remembered my authority and my need to dominate over punks like him. I yanked his fingers away from my arms. "Yes. It was. I heard this from Arisato. Why did you take pills from Strega, Aragaki? Are you involved with them? I have proper reason to believe th--"

"I'm sick," Aragaki scoffed, looking a little relieved, but not entirely. "Let's say my psyche and I do not get along, Odagiri. Get your scrawny ass out of my sight." The word 'psyche' struck a chord and I stubbornly crossed my arms, scowling, head tilted in a prying manner.

"Sick, Aragaki?" I repeated, looking amused. "Your psyche? You don't happen to mean…a Persona, do you?" I watched his face for an entire few seconds. I had never seen so many emotions on his face at one time. It started with a bit of a slack gaze, as though he hadn't heard what I had said. Then his eyes widened in a bit of dumbfounded shock. Then he snarled in fury, outright hatred. Fear charged through me like an electric shock and I took a startled step back, once more afraid for my face and my skull. Shinjiro grabbed me despite the space I put between us, and he shoved me against the wall, a fist resting right next to my head.

"How much do you know of this, Odagiri? How involved are you?" he demanded.

I swallowed hard. "Aragaki, get off of me," I ordered, but my voice shook. "Y-You're hurting me." He didn't loosen up his grasp or give me room to breathe. There was no space between us. His body was against mine; his eyes were alive in hate. His breath was heavy and hot and smelled faintly of something I could not recognize. Fear was something I was feeling a lot today; my body was getting really tired of it and my mind just wanted to go to sleep. His grip tightened, reminding me that I had a question to answer. "I-Well, if you would--"

"Don't give me any bullshit," Aragaki hissed. "How much do you know?"

"Minato Arisato told me a majority. Strega, Dark Hour, Persona; he told me the basics," I finally admitted, his fingers were moving up on my arm. I didn't want them around my throat. I tried to move away, but he shoved me back against the wall. My mind spun. I was tired, my body ached from heaving all day, I was emotionally drained from being scared, and there was worry of Ikutsuki in my mind. I did not want to add death to this list of ailments afflicting me, because death was not something one could sleep off.

"That idiot!" Shinjiro hissed, thrusting forward, jamming me against the brick. I uttered a groan, my shoulder burned from the pressure. He moved back, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Forget what you have been told, Odagiri. It's a bad dream. A bad dream I can't wake up from, but you can."

I snarled at him. "So you do have his power too!" I accused. "You do have a Persona." Aragaki gave me a sardonic snort.

"You dumbass, Odagiri," he sighed, shaking his head. "You are an idiot. Do you think having one makes me cool? Do you think having one makes Aki's friends cool? This isn't a fucking game. You don't have one, do you?"

I didn't want to answer him. I didn't want to talk to him. The desperate need to just walk away from this, to just go home and fall asleep under my blankets. Was clawing its way to the top of my agenda and this conversation was becoming much more painful than it should've been. My pride didn't let me shut up though; I answered, only because I wanted to prove I wasn't afraid of him. When, actually, I was starting to shake under my slightly dirty school uniform. "Ikutsuki said that I didn't have the same power as you guys…but I'm still different from regular people. So I can be as involved as I feel like being, Aragaki! You are not my mother."

"Dumbass," Aragaki growled. "Do not get involved with the Dark Hour. Only misery comes from it. You will die."

I clenched my hands, folding my arms despite how my shoulder hurt. "I've seen it. Fleetingly, but I've seen the Dark Hour. I didn't become one of the Lost. I'm not dead yet, and I can do whatever the hell I want. I'm not breaking any rules." Shinjiro just gave me a vicious gaze, before he turned and started to walk away. I turned and went the other way; toward home. He said nothing, I said nothing; we went our separate ways with that. It was the end of the conversation. It wasn't until I turned around the corner that I slumped against the wall and shook violently, thinking, _This Dark Hour…Is it really that horrible? So much so that he is concerned for my well being?_

I went home. I let my mother check me over. I let her strip me naked so she could get rid of my foul clothing. I let her send me to the bath. When I was clean, I went to bed. I slipped under my covers, stared at my ceiling for a good long time, letting everything I had learned today sink in. When my mind calmed enough for me to slip asleep, I had nightmares about monsters and Personae and Dark Hours. I knew now…maybe it would've been better had I never gotten involved with Minato's injuries in the first place.

A week…or five slipped by without me being too consciously aware. I would see the Lost that hung around on the street and I would think to myself how close I was to ending up like them. Minato and I frequently went up and talked on the roof of the school during lunch, and we would kiss or make out if we were alone. I suppose we became an item, undercover and unmentioned to anyone else. We never got too intense if we went in deep, especially not at school. His frame made him easy to grab at, made it easy to run a tongue up his neck, made it simple to grind against in teenage lust. We never went past passionate touches or kisses when I went over to the Dorm with him after school. I never stayed at the Dorm long, in fear of seeing Ikutsuki, so I cut our time together there short.

I wasn't sure what we were. Maybe it was his touches and his kisses that kept me sane during those weeks, but my mind was dizzy and fuzzy with my knowledge of the reality around me. At school, I would try not to think about the monstrous dungeon that the building morphed into at night. I tried not to imagine myself turning into a coffin at night. I would try not to think about how Minato and his friends ran through the halls fighting monsters with physical adaptations of their psyche.

The heat of the summer was fading fast. Minato had gone for a while on a vacation with his mates, but when he came back, he had some stories to tell. Minato told me how they had met a robot, and how a kid had been spending time at their dorm and he had the same power as they did, but I had yet to see the kid myself. I didn't really hear his or her name, either, but Minato talked quietly for me. The boy seemed to be aware how distant my head was these days. I was surprised to find he liked to murmur to me, sometimes I caught what he said and other times I missed it completely. I found it cute.

Aragaki and I had bumped into each other often; surprisingly, more outside of the school than inside. We never spoke. He would give me a curious gaze, he would snort and gaze aside, and then we would move on. These actions made me wonder if he was actually worried about me; like I couldn't handle the truth. The more days that went by, the more I wondered if I could myself.

I sucked softly on a slushy, staring over the edge of the Iwatodai strip mall upper level. It was a familiar action, one I had done earlier this summer. Minato was next to me, his music cranked up to ear-shattering levels. It made _my_ ears hurt, and I was a good foot or two away from him. In public, we didn't show our affections for each other, so we stood a fair enough distance apart. Behind us, the usual gang was talking in excited tones about girls. Junpei was laughing and talking about how he had hit on Fuuka and Yukari during some of their vacation. Kenji was talking about how he had fallen in love with a waitress at Club Mandragora. Kazushi was talking about his knee surgery and how he was anxious about it. Akihiko was being badgered about his not-so-secret crush on Mitsuru. There was another guy, too, whom I didn't quite recognize as well. I hadn't realized how much had changed during the last few weeks with them, as I had been a little wrapped up in myself.

"Guess what," Kazushi started, sitting on a bench with his leg sprawled out in front of him. "I kissed Yuko."

"No shit?" Junpei laughed.

"Really?" Kenji gawked.

"Who's that?" Keisuke Hiraga, of the art club (or so Minato told me), asked, cocking his head. Junpei pulled him into an armlock, and Keisuke made a squeaking noise, tugging to free himself. Akihiko and the other males laughed at his predicament. "Ow! I-Iori-kun, stop!" he squealed.

"Until you call me Junpei, I'm not letting you go!" Junpei teased. Minato chuckled softly, gazing over his shoulder. I didn't look. I had learned to deal with the pack's shenanigans. They were a fun group, and sometimes they could get me to enjoy myself. Sometimes Akihiko didn't join us, as he did have better things to do, and from what Minato told me, he went to go talk with his old friend. We went out on nights and hung at the Paulownia mall sometimes, or we would go and talk at the Naganaki Shrine. Just talk and play on the equipment there, nor caring if anyone saw us looking like idiots playing on a jungle gym. I enjoyed hanging with this group. The usual loneliness I had to deal with was weak, maybe even gone now. We went out often, and that was fine with me. I usually followed Akihiko, Junpei, and Minato home to their Dorm, and Minato and I would go up to his room. I had a feeling that the other members knew of our relationship, but they never said anything.

For this, I was relieved.

"Hey, Hidetoshi-kun," Junpei asked, nudging me. I glanced to him slowly, eyes tired. He gave me his stupid grin and stole my slushy, taking a sip. My scowl obviously did not faze him, and as he handed it back, he proceeded with the rest of his intention. The other guys were chattering away with each other at this point, moving on to talk about girls again, and Minato was playing vague attention to them. I let my focus shift to the idiot before me. "Tonight, why don't you spend the night at our dorm? Minato's a bit anxious; we've got something big going on tomorrow."

"Does it revolve around…?" I started, and he nodded gravely, and then rubbed the back of his neck with a grin.

"He hasn't been sleeping so well," Junpei continued. "If you stay tonight, I bet he'll sleep fine." I contemplated this for a while, then I nodded. I had nothing going on, and if I helped Minato carry out his duty, all the better. I opened my mouth to ask one thing, and Junpei shook his head. "He's busy. Ikutsuki, I mean. You're okay. Minato told me you're anxious about him." I nodded, having no reason to turn this request down now. I sucked on my slushy, and then turned around to watch the group interact. By now, Akihiko was beat red and the others were laughing. Earlier, I knew how small this group had been. Minato had changed that, though. I gave him a glance, and smiled softly, then looked forward and made a snide comment about Kenji, which made everyone turn their laughter upon the other.

As it grew late, I followed Minato and the two others home. We walked two-by-two, Akihiko and Junpei talking about a previous experience in Tartarus. They knew they could talk loosely around me by now, but I doubted they knew how many nightmares I got when I accidentally overheard some of their horrifying stories. I wasn't very good with night monsters and demons, I had learned over this time. Minato was listening to his music, hands in his pockets, while I was just listening to the darkness and watching around myself with my hands hanging limply at my side.

"Shit, another one," Junpei sighed, as they passed another person slumped next to a staircase leading up to a different dorm. "So many Lost. It's a good thing we're going out tomorrow…" Akihiko nodded. I just felt a bit sick. Minato glanced to the Lost person, then to my faintly pale expression, and one of his hands snaked free to take mine for a moment. I was grateful, but a little sad when it slipped back into his pants.

We walked up the stairs to their dorm, and Minato and I said good night to the people hanging out quietly inside. I knew them loosely by now. There was a blonde-haired girl named Aegis, who was the robot Minato had told me about before. Ken Amada, who was the little kid he'd told me about before as well, sat and watched TV. He didn't know about his power yet, from what I had learned. Mitsuru was reading, Yukari was eating something for dinner, and Fuuka was on the computer behind the desk. Akihiko went to sit by Mitsuru, while Junpei pulled off his hat and sat down across from Yukari. We went upstairs. Once at the top of the stairs, Minato turned off his music and pulled his headphones down.

In his room, I pressed him to the door and I demanded physical attention with my mouth. He responded with his own, and eventually I stumbled backwards, smashed against his bed and under him. I dragged him to my level, struggling to remain dominant. We got heated, we got excited. I reminded him he was supposed to get more sleep because of his job. He told me to shut up with his tongue, and it wasn't long before I saw my shirt on the floor and my fingers grabbing at his belt.

After all was said and done, he was snuffling against me, I was barely clinging to consciousness. My hair was a horrid mess, haloed around my head, while his was swept back and only a few locks fell in front of his face. I slipped to sleep, free of demons and monsters in my dreams this night.

Little did I know, a man was watching this all. He sat in a room I did not know about, watching the screen, eyes hidden behind the glare of his glasses. Junpei Iori had his arms crossed with his back to the screen, not wanting to see. The man raised a hand, smirking at the screen. "When the Dark Hour begins, and if he does not change…You are to wake him, Iori. Thank you for your cooperation."

"I don't know what's going on in your head," the boy started simply. "But I don't like it. You promise you won't let this happen again?"

"You have my word," Ikutsuki chuckled. "You have my word."


	9. The Dark Hour

A/N: Yipes, another long chapter. She's winding up, my readers. I'm 'fraid next chapter will be the last. Any suggestions for a new crack pairing are greatly appreciated, as I enjoyed writing this one so much. Lol. Also, in case you hadn't figured it out by now, this fic is so massively AU that I think you might get head trauma trying to figure out when it takes place. XD Oh, yeah. I present to you, chapter nine.

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What I can recall from what happened next is nothing but a flurry of numbness. I was shaken awake, but my consciousness would not last long. As I sat up, blankets falling to around my waist, hair tousled and my eyes groggily opening, I saw a few things. At first, I saw the green moonlight filtering into the room. I saw a smudge of blood on the wall. I saw Minato, stirring ever so slightly from my own movement. And then I saw Junpei, stepping back, looking anxious and uncomfortable. My mind wasn't functioning, so I didn't attempt to make sense of the situation.

"Iori?" I questioned drowsily, unable to confirm if it was him or not. I mean, why would Junpei be in Minato's room? I swore we had locked that door before getting so inv…I woke with that memory, and my eyes snapped open. I gazed around, seeing the green, seeing the moon through the curtains of the window, seeing Minato opening his own gray eyes lazily. Everything I could hear faded to nothing. The only sounds were the thoughts in my own skull, which were trailing along the basic lines of 'wtf?'. I don't usually think in chat-speak, since I don't do a lot of 'chatting'. I don't' have a cool cell phone, which is the main cause of that, and my mother has child-blocked our computer so much that I can't even utilize 'Google'.

That was when I saw it. The window shattered. Using a giant paw, it smashed the glass into shards, which flew out and scattered across the bloodied carpet on the ground. Junpei jumped back, and Minato sat upright. I was deaf; all my noise was gone, so I couldn't hear myself yelling out. Minato reached under his pillow, but I didn't notice. Junpei fumbled desperately with his belt, but I didn't see that either. All I saw was a giant lion with chains in its mouth climbing into the room. It threw a ball on the ground; a ball with a mask-like face on it. It was huge, it was menacing. Its eyes were horrible and its body was matted with blood and old wounds. I screamed. I couldn't hear myself scream, but I was screaming.

The masked ball. I stared at it more than the lion, which had taken to obsessively nuzzling it. My mind felt like it was imploding, like something was clenching it hard in its palm. I gasped, I struggled for air. No sound, no air, all I could see was that monster. A hand clapped over my eyes, but in that darkness, it was still there. I continued to scream, I continued to shriek and gasp for air. I spewed out questions, but whether they were in my head or out loud I could not differentiate. There was nothing. I had nothing but that creature to see or hear. I began to cry. My heart was racing, my hands were shaking violently, my brain was going to be crushed under the pressure!

The hand moved away, and I glanced aside to where it went without meaning too. Minato had put a gun to his forehead and he had yelled out, pulling the trigger. I screamed again. _HE PUT A GUN TO HIS FUCKING HEAD! _my mind freaked. When glass shot from his head instead of blood and sparkled past me, the scream I could not hear silenced momentarily. As the door burst open, though I couldn't hear that either, I saw it. It moved out of Minato's body slowly and silently, daunting and cruel. Then it moved to full height. A creature…I…I couldn't even define it, my mind was so traumatized. What I would learn later, under much easier circumstances that the creature, the Persona's name was Thanatos. He was the head of the Death Arcanum.

I lost consciousness. I passed clean out from the pressure on my brain and the raw fear. My sound returned for the fleeting seconds before I fell into the darkness. It sounded like a girl, but I can't be sure even upon reflection. She was in hysterics. "He's bleeding out of his ears!" And then I fell into a horrible dream. A horrible, horrible dream worse than the one I had been awoken into.

"Arigatou," I whispered, bowing briefly. My mother ran her hand over my head, giving me a smile. She reminded me not to be so formal. I nodded curtly, and then took the glass she held out for me and the bottle in the other hand. I popped out a few pills and swallowed them quickly, then went outside. Minato stood up on the steps, as well as Akihiko and Junpei. They all gave me a sort of smile. I nodded quietly. We walked for a while in silence, until Junpei gave me a weak grin.

"So. How long do you have to take those pills, Hidetoshi-kun?" he asked me, and I shrugged half-heartedly, then held up seven fingers. "Seven days?" I shook my head. "Seven weeks?" I nodded. He whistled lowly, then looked down sadly. "Shit. I'm so--" Minato gave him a harsh elbow for me and I smirked.

They talked with each other about stupid things like girls and school. Minato was listening to his music, as always. We went to Paulownia Mall and slipped into Club Mandragora. Junpei and Minato went up to go karaoke, as they always did. I sat at a table with Akihiko, something I can recall doing before. I sat quietly, my hands in my lap, my eyes unfocused. I stared at the table. Unable to start up a conversation, unable to do anything. Akihiko thumped the table softly to get my attention and I glanced up to him.

"I know you don't want to talk about it," Akihiko started, voice serious. I just glanced up to him and he gazed aside. "We were all scared. We were all worried for you. You have no idea how relieved we are you came out of that coma, Hidetoshi-kun. The doctors worried it was an extreme case of Apathy Syndrome…" He glanced to me, and met my own blank gaze. He gave me an apologetic smile. "Sorry. I just had to get that off of my chest." I shrugged, then stared up at Minato.

After that incident in the Dark Hour, I had slipped into a long sleep. Ikutsuki would tell me that it had been because the Shadow had invaded my mind and was attempting to steal it away from me, like some sort of screwed up succubus or something to that effect. He called me a 'Shadow Magnet'. Though I had stirred from the coma, I had lost my voice. It was temporary, and I had actually only been awake for about two days. Everything functioned fine, except for my vocal chords. The medicine I was taking was to help my voice return and for my mind to had more ease dealing with the post-trauma. It didn't stop my nightmares, but it helped.

In all honesty, I was scared. I was scared of these people, of their monsters, of their Personae. I was scared of the Dark Hour. Everyone at the Dorm wouldn't stop apologizing for what had happened, but I didn't want to hold anybody at fault. I didn't have the energy or the state of mind to. I just never, ever, wanted to hear of any of it again. Thankfully, everyone seemed to understand that, and they had stopped talking about it in front of me. I was glad.

"Aki, Odagiri," came a low, gruff voice. I glanced up as a tall figure sat down next to Akihiko. If I could've, I would've asked what the punk was thinking to sit nearby, but I maintained my forced silence. Shinjiro Aragaki glanced me over, and then looked to Akihiko, who was smiling at him happily.

Akihiko glanced around. "What're you up to?" he mused. "Since when do you want to be seen with either of us?"

"I heard what happened to you," Aragaki told me lowly. "I warned you. You dumbass." I glared at him, unable to defend myself. "Do you think Ikutsuki is going to stop at that, Odagiri?" he added in a low whisper, eyes intense. "I know him. I know he sometimes doesn't know how to stop. You attract Shadows. You're like their crack. He told me this when we met; do you know what the hell this means?"

"Shinji," Akihiko scolded. "Shut up. Leave him be."

Minato slid by my side, his song done. Junpei was beginning a wailing duet with some fat girl who was here much more often than she should've been. I tuned them out, and was glad for Minato's company. He held my hand under the table, gray eyes catching my distant ones. He looked to Shinjiro and Akihiko, while I carefully avoided watching them. I didn't want to listen to this. I didn't want to be involved anymore. I was done with the Dark Hour and Personae.

"This means," Shinjiro continued, despite the fact I was trying to make it clear I did not want him to do as such. "He's still curious. He still wants answers. Odagiri--"

"Enough," Akihiko snapped, a snarl to his voice. Shinjiro looked a little surprised, then he snorted and glanced aside. Minato tightened his grasp, making the quiver in my hands a little more apparent. I was shaking? I glanced to him slowly and his eyebrows were creased, worry in his eyes. I gazed aside. I couldn't pretend I was okay when I looked at him. It was hard to be anything but honest around him.

I left to go to the bathroom, making a brief gesture to my crotch when I got questioning gazes. Silence was hard to interpret, but any gesture to one's groin would explain a visit to the bathroom. Whether it was to piss or jerk off, that was left up to interpretation, but I could assure you, I was not in the mood to flog the dolphin. Minato wanted to follow me, I know he did just from the way he shifted in his seat, but I didn't invite him. Nor did I gesture for him to stay. I don't know what I wanted him to do, so maybe it was better if he just stayed where he was.

In all honesty, I knew I was falling apart at my seams. I had been since my first night seeing the Dark Hour. Ever since I had learned what was going on at night, every night, at school and with my friends, I hadn't been like I usually was. I don't know if it was just fear or worry or what, but I knew I was falling to pieces. I never went into a bathroom with an objective other than relieving myself. I never went into a bathroom to curl up in a stall and shake. Yet here I was, in a smelly stall at Club Mandragora, shaking and trying to shove the Dark Hour and Ikutsuki from my mind.

My hair had lost its usual slickness. I know I hadn't been awake long, but that didn't change the fact I noticed differences. My stomach was in constant turmoil. My heart kept racing even though I didn't always have such horrible things on my mind. To put it simply, I wanted to forget this. I wanted to forget Strega, and how they had led me to getting involved with the Dark Hour. I wanted to forget about what SEES really was. I wanted to forget it all. But by forgetting, I knew that I would lose what I had with Minato. I didn't know what it was between, but I didn't want to put a single word to whatever it was. We had a lot more than just one word. If I lost that, I wouldn't be who I was now. And I don't know who he would be if we hadn't been so close.

He wasn't done with me. Ikutsuki wasn't done with me. Why in God's name had I been told this? I didn't want to know. I didn't want to mentally prepare for more of his horrible antics. I gathered myself, because I didn't want to think about it. I really, really didn't. Yet I continued to shake, my legs pulled up to my chest with my heels resting on the edge of the toilet seat, my forehead against my knees. I think I was crying, but my mind was very far from being in that bathroom stall. My mind was heading to the Dark Hour, whether I wanted it to or not.

I went back to the table when I had cleared myself up, but I didn't sit down. How was I supposed to tell them I wanted to go home? I simply jerked my head and Minato seemed to understand. He relayed my message for me. "I'm going to take him home," he stated, and stood. Shinjiro stood up as well.

"I'll come," he stated lowly.

Minato gave him a blank stare. "Why?"

"It's getting late."

My heart stopped when I heard that. I dug out my cell phone and looked at the time. We hadn't been here that long…Had we? We had left at about seven…I couldn't hide my panic when I saw it was now eleven o' clock. I stuffed my phone into my pocket and Minato took my hand briefly. Aki said he'd stay here for Junpei, and Minato mentioned gratitude. We left, the three of us, but I was freaking out. I had lost my voice to the Dark Hour and about a week of my life to sickness and a coma respectively. I had lost a lot of Hidetoshi in the mix as well. I didn't recognize me when I had looked into the mirror in the bathroom. Tired eyed, messy and unprofessional, sickly…I didn't want to see myself deteriorate anymore.

As we walked, Minato held my hand. Outside of the mall, and heading towards the monorail, there weren't as many people. We could be a little more public about our affection. I was so glad he did. The darkness was making me feel sick. We got to the station, but found we had to sit tight while a monorail made its way over for the next run. Shinjiro and I grew antsy at that station. I didn't know why he was, but I was shaking again. I kept glancing to my phone clock. I kept watching the minutes go by. Minato took it from when after a while and he pressed a soft kiss to my lips to keep me from trying to voicelessly protest.

"Ha, Aragaki, and the two little queers!" came a snide voice. I turned slowly. A green-haired young man tossing a grenade up and down in his hand grinned dementedly at us, his other hand clutching a briefcase at his side. "It's been too long, don't you think?" Shinjiro snarled like a guard dog, and Minato possessively pulled me behind him, even though I was a bit taller and it defeated the point. I wanted to tell him how cute he looked, but I was panicking again and I still didn't have my voice.

"Strega," Minato spat out, like it was a very bad word. A hand on my shoulder made me jump and bump into Minato. Takaya chuckled, taking steps forward, making us take steps back. Like herders, the two moved us down the steps and into the bad side of the Port Island station. I knew that this was their terrain without even needing to think about it. Shinjiro and Minato kept me between them, like I was completely inept and useless at defending myself. I was, but I still had pride. I squared too, but Takaya and Jin only laughed at me heartily. Minato glanced to me and gave me one of those faint smiles I loved so much. Shinjiro growled deeply in his throat.

"How would you feel if I were to rip your boyfriend to shreds, Arisato?" Jin mused, laughing. "My latest grenade has explosive power, if you know what I mean."

"Now now," Takaya chuckled. "We have some time until the games get interesting, Jin. Behave yourself until then."

"Shit," Aragaki swore. "They're going to make us wait it out. Arisato, you and Odagiri--"

"Don't even try to escape," Takaya clucked, shaking his head, his smirk deadly and sickening at the same time. "Chidori, my dear…" The Lolita-dressed girl appeared, but from where, I couldn't honestly tell you. She cut off any side exits. She stood quietly and watched us. My knees were buckling. I was acting like a coward and I knew it, but I didn't think I could handle this. I had no voice and I couldn't take much more of this life. I couldn't take much more of the Dark Hour, Strega, or any of this.

"What do you want?" Aragaki demanded fists tight.

"Such fighting spirit, Aragaki," Takaya taunted, his hand resting on his handgun. Minato rested his own hand on his own gun; what he had explained to me as being an 'Evoker' for releasing one's Personae. I think Takaya's gun was real, though, which made me more worried about him. "You've been playing with these little brats, Aragaki. Even though you said you were done helping your own boyfriend and his pathetic little effort…Besides, a friend told us to come help him. I can't tell anybody no," he added, and then laughed.

"He's not my boyfriend; not anymore," Shinjiro snarled. "What do you care?"

"Boyfriend?" Minato asked softly. Shinji grunted out a low 'Aki'. Minato turned pink and I tried not to smile. He was too cute, really, but this was not the time to notice such sweetness. Akihiko kept himself tight, Minato remained anxious and squared. I simply tried not to look too stupid and useless. Takaya did not answer Shinji, just continued to smile at us. Jin watched us despite playing with his grenade, and Chidori gazed at us with little to no expression. Minato glanced down briefly to check my cell phone, and from the paleness I could see from the moon's glow, I knew what time it was. Or almost was, anyway.

I wanted to ask one thing. I wanted to ask one thing, but I couldn't. _Am I going to die?_

The world shuddered very abruptly. Everything turned green. The moon began to glow, and puddles of blood appeared on the ground. Soon, everything was twisted, everything was screwed, and everything was so messed up. Minato instantly pulled his Evoker to his head and summoned up his horrible Persona, and then handed the gun to Shinjiro past me. He summoned up his own Persona, as did Takaya, Jin, and Chidori. I was surrounded by these monsters. I tried to stumble back. I wasn't able to scream. I couldn't. Instead I cried. I was so scared. I think I felt piss running down my leg, but I didn't care. I stumbled backwards until I tripped and all I could see was those horrible monsters, attacking the humans with little care.

Thanatos and Castor, the Personae of Minato and Aragaki, attacked fiercely and with little remorse. I cried. I had never been good with monsters; I had never liked the stories of monsters under one's beds, or the creatures in the closest. Those were fake and made up. These creatures were not. They were real, drawing blood on their human targets with spells and physical attacks. Takaya would sometimes just shoot, but Thanatos would block the blow so Minato wasn't hit. Had I been less afraid, I would've noticed just how cool the Persona looked in battle. They were cool, in the way all boys loved. Yet I would never admit that, even if I had noticed.

Then Castor slashed open Takaya's arm. Aragaki grinned despite himself. Jin quickly dashed to his aid, then hissed a curse. For a fleeting moment, a way out of this situation was opened. Minato quickly looked to me and pointed, eyes wide. I couldn't move though. My body had frozen. My sound was being taken away again, and I just started to cry all over again. I felt like such a baby, I felt like such a chicken shit, but it was happening again. Something was starting to crush my brain all over again. Funny looking snakes were slithering their way from the opened passage. Minato swore loudly.

"Aragaki!" he yelled. "Get him out, quick, please! He'll die! Thanatos can cover you!"

I felt the arms around me faster than I had imagined. Shinji pulled a face when he felt the dampness to the leg of my pants, but he was moving too fast in his adrenaline buzz to stop and care. He obeyed Minato without a thought, without hesitation. He breezed past the injured Takaya and the fretting Jin. I had lost my sound, there was a snake with gender signs around its neck right on our tails, but Minato had Thanatos moving quickly enough to keep it distracted for moments at a time.

Shinjiro ran. He ran back to the school, since the monorails were dead. There were more Shadows awaiting him at Tartarus. No. They were awaiting me. I was their 'crack'. I could only watch as Shinji forced his Persona out with no Evoker to do so. He groaned in obvious agony, but held onto me securely and had Castor keep me safe. Why would he do such a thing? Minato. Minato had a grasp on everyone. He had a face you couldn't say no to. He was a beautiful boy.

And I loved him. Was he okay, facing Strega on his own as well as some of those monsters? Was he okay? Shinjiro set me down when there were no more Shadows at the moment, but he kept Castor out and at the ready. He allowed me to rest against the Tartarus gate, and he examined me. He tapped my cheek and spoke, but I couldn't hear him. He showed me his finger; there was a spot of blood. He gestured to his eyes. I was bleeding out my eyes. I swallowed slowly, my mind dizzy, but my shock was beginning to fade. I wiped away my bloody eyes and swallowed again, rubbing my knees in an effort to make them work. Shinjiro nodded, looking a little more at-ease now that I seemed to be getting a grip.

Shinjiro kept any Shadows that appeared at bay. I'd throw rocks to distract some when there were too many for him to handle alone. I do not know how long would we be there or how long until we saw Minato again, but I hoped it wouldn't be long. Shinjiro glanced up after some time of this, his hat cast aside and his body heaving with exhaustion, and an unwilling smirk appeared. I followed his gaze and stood awkwardly, wiping away the blood at my eyes and smirking. Shakily grabbing at my sleeves. Minato hurried to us, Thanatos slicing a few creatures as he passed. He paused in front of me and examined me; I brushed aside his hand, dizzily nodding. He spoke, but I saw Shinjiro call for his attention. Probably to tell him that I couldn't hear.

Feeling like an emperor with my samurai, I trailed next to them as they moved, exhausted and probably getting sick from the excessive use of their Personae. I rubbed Minato's elbow quietly. By the time we were back to the station again, Strega had disappeared. Shinjiro stood by the station entrance, hands in his pockets, Castor gone and resting. I sat quietly on a bench, uncomfortable in my damp pants and still wiping blood from my eyes. There was pressure on my mind, but so far, I had seen no other Shadows since before.

I stood, gesturing to the theater, and I moved inside. I grabbed a few napkins and began to wipe myself down, disgusted with how I had wet myself, yet not feeling all-together guilty about it. I had a very viable excuse. I didn't hear Minato's shout, nor did I notice the rock being hurtled my direction. That was why I didn't see the Shadow until I had turned around, and the snake had slit me right across my belly.


	10. Reversal

A/N: This is the end. Enjoy.

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With numb fingers, I reached down and ran my finger across my belly. The blood I wiped away had been hiding a single thin line. The wound was far from deep, and the pain I felt was minor to the pressure on my skull. Thanatos ripped through the Shadow snake, and Minato ran to me. He pulled my shirt away, examining the wound, visibly relaxing when he found it wasn't very deep at all. He glanced up, and gave me a smile. But there was only so much I could take.

No more of this. No more of the Dark Hour. No more of this horrible, monster-infested world. I had had enough. I leaned against the counter, my fingers running over the blood, my eyes burning from the salt red tears that continued to run. I was done. I slumped against the counter completely, and crossed my arms. Minato gave me a curious look, before he took my hand and tugged carefully. I didn't move. I wasn't going out there again.

I used to consider myself a strong guy. I used to consider myself a tough boy, brave in the face of punks and bullies. I had learned a lot since then. I had learned I was a coward. I was a crybaby. Minato dealt with almost nightly, yet I couldn't cope for a half-hour total of the Dark Hour. I…I didn't want any of it anymore. Minato wiped away the bloody tears on my cheeks and he kissed me softly. I didn't really feel it, which made me look away.

"Do you wish to forget everything?" I heard, which made me look back to him. The voice was similar to Minato's, but at the same time, it was different. Minato was smiling at me, but I think I was seeing double. I feared my eyes were giving out on me, just like my sound and my voice, but I think I was seeing everything clearly. Aragaki was fending off some more Shadows, and I couldn't hear him swearing profusely like he probably was. I could see him just fine, hear him just fine…so why was I seeing two of Minato, and able to hear him? Like I was wearing a bad pair of glasses, I swore I saw an illusion.

A hand moved forward and ran over my cheek, a pair of interesting blue eyes greeting mine. "Do you? It's possible, you know."

"Really?" I croaked out. This Minato double smiled happily, nodded. How could he hear me? My voice didn't make noise. The double pulled me into a hug, something felt different, but not at all wrong. It felt like Minato. "I…Please…Please, I don't want to remember."

"All of it, Hide-kun? All of everything?" he purred. Everything? Did he mean my feelings for Minato, too? My answer slipped out before I thought too hard, but…I knew I wanted to forget. Another night like this one…Hell, after this one, there was a chance I would fall into another coma and never wake from it, ever. I didn't want this. I was scared all the time, I wasn't Hidetoshi Odagiri. I was…I was just some scared little kid. I nodded. I was willing to forget the one thing that had kept me going, and that was what I had with Minato Arisato.

The Minato double smiled sweetly. "Good night, Hide-kun. I'll see you at the meeting." He pressed his lips against mine, and in that last instant, I heard and saw everything. I heard the sounds of the Dark Hour, I saw the green moon illuminating the sky outside of the theater, I heard the growls of Shinjiro Aragaki; and I was glad I was going to forget. I was glad I was going to forget it all. I felt the darkness close in, and before everything faded away, I saw Minato's faint smile. It was him and not the double.

"I love you, Hide-kun."

And then there was nothing.

I tapped my hand on the back of his chair as I passed him by in one of my usual nervous paces. Whenever there was some sort of issue that got me fired up, like the school policy on the dress code and similar situations to that, I would pace a bit anxiously. I wasn't uncomfortable with the subject, and I was quite passionate when I talked about it, but Mitsuru Kirijo was one hard debater and she got me going. We both worked too hard to try and get our way, it always worked out magically when we had to settle on even turf.

Knowing this signal, the boy nodded without looking up and continued to zone out and listen to his music. The end of the Student Council meeting came quickly, and he approached me while I stared out the window. I wished I could play outside like those other students could. I wished I could be as carefree and simple as they were, but I wasn't, and therefore it was silly to dream about such obliviousness. I had a very important job to do; I was the Head of the Disciplinary Committee, and I was the Vice President of the Student Council at Gekkoukan high school. Playing soccer outside in the dirt was not only a waste of my time, but I simply just wasn't the type for it.

Before I could turn to him and ask my question, he held up a finger and turned down his obnoxiously angry sounding music. As he pulled off his headphones, he cocked his head and asked lowly, "How's your bronchitis?" His question made mine temporarily slip from my mind. I disregarded it with a simple wave of my hand. Despite this, his gentle gray eyes bore into mine and I couldn't completely ignore it.

I sighed, crossing my arms. "Better," I stated simply. "A few more weeks and I should be recovered. Arigatou, Arisato-san." He nodded, then slid his hands into his pockets and shifted his head. I saw between his bangs, for a fleeting moment, and there it was. A cut across his cheek, bruised and angry. I had little explanation for what could possibly cause such a horrid wound, and so my curiosity was getting the better of me.

"You," I stated, jerking my chin up a bit. "You're hurt, aren't you? I see your bruise. I see your limp. Why are you hurt? You…aren't being bullied, are you?" The surprise that flashed across his usually blank eyes made me jump, even though it wasn't something I usually would find myself skittish about. The boy stared down, before he looked up with a scowl. I'd never seen him scowl, it made me anxious. With a careless glance aside, he sighed as though it was the biggest pain in the world to tell me.

"You have a scar across your stomach," he growled. "A single scar. It's long and thin. You don't know where it came from." Without actually thinking about this, my hand flew over my stomach. My blood chilled, goosebumps rose on my skin.

"H-How do you know that?" I demanded, eyes sharpening.

"I did it," Minato sighed. "Stay out of my business, Odagiri-san." With that cold statement, he turned his back on me, and left the room. I untucked my shirt and looked under, staring at the mentioned mark. I had spoken to no one about this. Not even my mother, who I told quite a bit. I looked up at the door. I clenched a fist and stared back down at my stomach. He gave it to me? He…I ground my teeth and snorted, gazing back outside.

I was glad I wasn't that close to him anyway. That little punk.

I saw him leaving. He had that annoying idiot Junpei Iori next to him. There was something off, something that intrigued me, and that was when I noticed his eyes. It was hard to see from my height, but I saw it. The boy was crying. It made me scowl, pull the blinds, and look away. We were friends…but now, obviously, I suppose we weren't.

_A voice fills your head._

_The Emperor Social Link has been reversed._

_The relationship has ended._

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Post A/N: Harsh, right? I know. Anyway, lemme give a shout out. Thank you so much to my reviewers, and especially my fan artist, Kitsune-prophet. Love ya. Check out her awesome drawings for my story. This one links to the others:

der-fuchsprophet./art/Nyoro-n-A-Single-Scar-80815111

So yeah. That's the end of 'A Single Scar'. Hope this was enjoyable for you during your readings!


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